Spring's back on track: Very warm Thursday; weekend shower chances

Thursday will be our warmest day yet with highs in the mid-70s across southern Minnesota. The chance of showers increases into Friday and the weekend for much of the state. After a pause, signs of spring are rapidly progressing again.

Very warm Thursday; shower chances ahead

We’ve got a warm one on the way Thursday with highs well into the 70s across southern Minnesota — a full 10 degrees above normal. It will remain cooler along the North Shore in the 40s and low 50s with 60s across the rest of northern Minnesota.

thu hi 9 — Forecast highs Thursday
National Weather Service

We’ll remain seasonable in the 60s and 70s south and 50s and 60s north into early next week, but the pattern becomes more unsettled with some shower chances. Here’s a look at rain chances through Saturday for the Twin Cities area:

rain chances MSP — Forecast rain chances for the next 48 hours for the Twin Cities area
National Weather Service

Showers will increase Thursday night across southern Minnesota, especially along Interstate 90. That same frontal boundary will touch off some spotty showers late Friday into Friday night.

Turn Up Your Support

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.

Expect scattered showers Saturday, especially in northern and western Minnesota. We’ll have on-and-off chances of at least a few showers into Monday.

precip 7p THU SAT — Forecast precipitation 7 p.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Saturday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather

Spring is progressing rapidly again

A week ago I remarked at how slow the lake ice-outs were progressing. They had nearly stalled thanks to the cold, cloudy weather.

In the past seven days we’ve had more than 30 new ice-outs declared in central and northern Minnesota compared to just about one in the seven days previous.

ice out progress — Minnesota lake ice out Thursday (top) compared to a week ago (below)
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Another sign of spring progressing after being nearly on hold — bird migration!

Thanks to optimal weather conditions, more than 15 million birds passed through Minnesota Wednesday night — our most yet this spring in one night — according to BirdCast, a migration tracking effort led by researchers at Cornell University’s ornithology lab.