Frost advisories up north; 70s return late next week
Frost is common in northern Minnesota in May.
Cover up those tender plants up north this weekend. Frost is likely across much of northern Minnesota.
Our chilly inbound Canadian air mass will yield low temperatures in the low 40s in southern Minnesota, with lower 30s up north this weekend.
Frost advisories are posted for most of northern Minnesota. The advisory zone runs basically north of a line from Fargo, N.D., to Duluth. Here’s the advisory zone for the Red River Valley and northwestern Minnesota.
Here are the advisory details for northeastern Minnesota.
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Including the cities of International Falls, Ely, Isabella, Bigfork, Hibbing, Grand Marais, Walker, and Grand Rapids
1248 PM CDT Fri May 20 2022
...FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT SATURDAY...
* WHAT...Temperatures as low as 33 will result in frost formation.
* WHERE...North Itasca, Central St. Louis, Northern Cook and Lake, Koochiching, North St. Louis, South Itasca, North Cass and Southern Cook Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation and the Bois Forte Band, Deer Creek, Lake Vermilion and, Nett Lake areas.
* WHEN...From 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if left uncovered.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Areas right along the shore of Lake Superior may stay warmer, however, much colder temperatures are expected inland.
How common is frost up north in May?
Frost is quite common in northern Minnesota even in late May. The average date for the last 32-degree temperature in spring in Ely, Minn., is May 26! Frost is common into June in much of northeastern Minnesota.
So when is it typically safe to plant in northern Minnesota? The dates for 90 percent chances of getting past the last frost of spring run into well June across northeastern Minnesota!
That’s why many of us have woken up to frost (and even snow) on the tent in the Boundary Waters in late May and early June.
Highs will hover in the 40s north Saturday with chilly 50s south. Highs Sunday will return to around 60 degrees in southern Minnesota with 50s up north.
70s again next week
Next week starts seasonably cool with highs in the 60s across most of Minnesota. But milder southerly breezes will return to Minnesota late next week. Highs likely reach the 70s again across most of southern Minnesota by next Thursday.
The early look for Memorial Day weekend favors highs in the 70s to possibly 80, with a mix of sun and a few scattered storms possible.