Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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. 

Turn Up Your Support

It’s great to see that our Minnesota air quality is improving. Most of Minnesota had air quality readings in either the good or moderate category at 5 p.m. Thursday, and similar air quality is expected Thursday night and Friday.

Much of Wisconsin is in an air quality advisory that continues until noon on Friday. Northwestern Wisconsin is not included in the air quality advisory. Here are air quality advisory details, from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency posts current and forecast air quality information 

Scattered thunderstorms are possible into Thursday evening in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Many locations won’t see any rain, but some spots could see downpours at times.

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

You can also check these National Weather Service sites for updated weather info: 

Organized thunderstorms aren’t expected Friday or Saturday, but an isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible in far southern Minnesota and in parts of northeastern Minnesota.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern from 6 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Saturday:

Sunday looks mainly dry, but a shower or thunderstorm could move into western Minnesota late in the day.

Occasional scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible in northern Minnesota on Monday, then we could see a few scattered showers and thunderstorms anywhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Fourth of July.

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 83 degrees on June 30. Metro area highs are forecast to reach the upper 80s this Friday.

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Friday highs in the 80s:

There could be a few upper 70s in far northeastern Minnesota.

Saturday highs will be mainly in the 80s:

Sunday highs reach well into the 80s in most areas, with a few spots in the south topping 90 degrees:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 90s on Sunday and Monday and also on the Fourth of July.

The rain that we saw last weekend hasn’t changed the drought picture very much, according to the latest 

The report shows that 4.92 percent of Minnesota (shaded orange) is in severe drought, with 39.25 percent (shaded beige) in moderate drought. The yellow-shaded areas are abnormally dry but not yet in drought.

Only 7.68 percent of Minnesota isn’t either abnormally dry or in drought right now.

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

After a Thursday evening thunderstorm chance, most of us will see a quiet and warm stretch of weather Friday through Sunday. An air quality advisory continues into Friday in Wisconsin.

Evening thunderstorm chance; Friday through Sunday mostly quiet, warm

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox