Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Our chilly Wednesday rain system feels more like April or October than late May. But the weather maps look more like June for the first of the big three warm-season holiday weekends in Minnesota. 

As of early afternoon Wednesday, the storm total rainfall algorithm from the Doppler radar in the Twin Cities shows the heaviest rains across southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The areas in yellow indicate more than 1 inch of rainfall. 

Here are a few select preliminary rainfall totals through midday:

Rainfall will gradually taper off from west to east through Wednesday afternoon.

The weather maps transition to what look like an early summer pattern as we move into the Memorial Day weekend. Clouds linger in eastern Minnesota Thursday with highs in the 60s. But sunnier skies in western Minnesota will help boost temperatures toward 70 degrees.

Friday looks like one of the best weather days of the year in Minnesota. Sunny skies, low humidity, and temperatures running well into the 70s will feel spectacular. 

Highs by Saturday push 80 degrees in the south.

A warm front blows a steamy summery air mass northward for Memorial Day. Highs in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees now look likely in southern Minnesota Monday! 

Dew points could approach the tropical 70-degree mark.

We’ll likely see a couple of passing thunderstorms tracking from west to east across Minnesota this weekend. Saturday night looks like a favored timing for one wave. 

But it won’t rain all weekend, and I think we’ll see way more sunshine than rain.

Overall it looks like an above-average Memorial Day weekend is on the way.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Soaking rains give way to a summerlike Memorial Day weekend. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Storm total precipitation estimates from Twin Cities radar 

Cool Wednesday soaker; summery Memorial Day weekend ahead

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