Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Air quality improves; dew points drop Wednesday with showers west

Showers and thunder possible Friday and Saturday statewide

smoke and AQ
Smoke plume with air quality
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Scattered showers will linger in western and southwest Minnesota Wednesday with cooler and drier air east. The next chance of showers develops Friday and Saturday statewide.

Smoke lingers; reduced air quality but no alerts

We still have smoke in the skies but air quality isn’t as bad as the last couple days so there are no alerts Wednesday. Mostly moderate conditions are forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.

Check the latest air quality conditions:

Here are air quality forecasts for the next couple of days also:

While our air has improved some, the same cannot be said for folks in the northeast.

The index we use to measure particulates in the air from smoke should be under 50 for “good” air quality. Most of southern and western Minnesota is seeing moderate air quality Wednesday in the 50 to 100 range.

For perspective, Syracuse, N.Y., and Ottawa, Canada, have values over 400!

AQ NE
Air quality in the northeast U.S. into eastern Canada
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Showers linger Wednesday; dew points drop

Most of Minnesota is enjoying a nice break from the hot, muggy weather as dew points continue drop through the day. Dew points will increase again late Friday as another cool front, this time from the northwest, pushes moisture back across Minnesota.

wed-fri dews
Forecast dew points 7 a.m. Wednesday through 1 p.m. Friday
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather

High temperatures Wednesday will be cooler for most, but warmer temperatures along with muggier dew points will persist in western Minnesota.

wed hi 8a
Forecast highs Wednesday
National Weather Service

Wednesday night will bring the coolest night in about two and a half weeks for most of us. Lows will fall into the 40s northeast to 50s south and low 60s southwest.

wed nt 8a
Forecast lows Wednesday night into early Thursday
National Weather Service

We’ll still have some lingering showers and pop-up thunder in western Minnesota Wednesday and Friday as the cool front stalls and washes out, west. By Friday and Saturday the next cool front will again touch off the possibility of some showers and thunder statewide.

wed-sun precip
Forecast precipitation 7 a.m. Wednesday through 1 a.m. Sunday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

Temperatures will drop again behind that front, into just the 70s nearly statewide Sunday. Most models agree on heating things back up by midweek next week.

FCST NWS 8a
Forecast for the next several days for central Minnesota
National Weather Service
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