Warm and humid into the weekend; Scattered thunderstorms at times
June outlook looks summery
Many meteorologists refer to the period from June through July and August as meteorological summer, since those are the three warmest months of the year in the northern hemisphere.
We didn’t wait for June 1 to begin a very summery stretch this year. We saw summery temps yesterday and today, and dew points have been creeping upward. The Wednesday high temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 90 degrees. The average Twin Cities high temp is just 74 degrees this time of year.
Much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin had Wednesday highs in the 80s to lower 90s, with 70s up along the North Shore. Similar highs are on tap for the next few days, with dew points in the sticky 60s and upper 50s.
Thunderstorm chances
With steamy air in place, scattered thunderstorms developed Wednesday afternoon and will continue in some areas Wednesday evening. Western Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota will have the best chance of Wednesday evening thunderstorms, with a few isolated t-storms possible elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
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You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.
You can also check the following National Weather Service sites for updated weather info: Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D., Grand Forks, N.D.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will favor the afternoon and evening hours Thursday through Saturday, then we’ll have an isolated shower/t-storm chance on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh model shows the potential rain pattern from 5 a.m. Thursday to 11 p.m. Thursday:
Check forecast updates.
Temperature trends
Thursday highs will reach 90 degrees or warmer in much of central and southern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin:
Most other areas will see 80s, but 70s are expected up along the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Afternoon dew points will be in the summery 60s and upper 50s:
Friday highs will top 90 degrees in some areas, including the Twin Cities, with mainly 80s to the north:
70s are expected near Lake Superior.
Friday dew points will be summery:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 90 degrees this coming weekend.
We may be in for a warm June. The June temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above normal temps in Minnesota and Wisconsin:
We could have a few cool days in June, but the average temperature for the entire month is trending warmer than normal.
Programming note
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.