Winter storm warnings in northern Minnesota

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Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin had summery temperatures on Saturday, but dew points were not summery at all. Many locations had Saturday afternoon dew points in the 20s and 30s. Some spots in west-central Minnesota reported afternoon dew points in the teens for a while.

The combination of warm temps, low dew points/relative humidity and gusty winds prompted red flag warnings to be issued Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening for northwestern Minnesota and parts of north-central and west-central Minnesota:

Here are details of the west-central Minnesota portion of the Saturday red flag warning, plus a fire weather watch for Sunday:

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources posts fire danger and burning restriction updates 

Air quality alert begins at noon on Sunday

 has issued an air quality alert for much of eastern Minnesota, beginning at noon on Sunday:

Here are the air quality alert details, from the MPCA:

We’ll have a sun-splashed Sunday in Minnesota and Wisconsin. A ridge of high pressure aloft and a surface high-pressure system to our east will keep rain away.

The upper-level ridging breaks down a bit on Monday, and the surface high-pressure system will shift slightly eastward. Those events will allow a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms to enter western Minnesota on Memorial Day.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the surface pressure pattern and the potential rain pattern from 4 a.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Monday:

On Tuesday, the chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms will spread across the remainder of Minnesota and into Wisconsin, then unsettled weather will linger through the remainder of the week.

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News 

The Saturday afternoon high temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 84 degrees. The average May 27 Twin Cities high temp is just 73 degrees.

Sunday highs in the Twin Cities metro area will reach the low to mid 80s. Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will top out in the 80s on Sunday, with 70s near Lake Superior:

Memorial Day highs will be mainly in the 80s as well:

Once again there will be 70s near Lake Superior.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 80s Tuesday through Friday. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few spots in the metro area touch 90 degrees on Tuesday or Thursday.

There isn’t any really chilly weather in sight. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temps in Minnesota and western Wisconsin next weekend and into the start of the following week:

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Summery temps will stay with us the remainder of Memorial Day weekend and beyond. We look at the forecast details, plus the air quality alert that begins at noon on Sunday in parts of eastern Minnesota.

Dry through Memorial Day in many areas; Rain chance returns Monday in western Minnesota

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