Falling temperatures, blowing snow and dangerous travel conditions

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 report released Thursday showed 63.65 percent of Minnesota in drought, with 11.25 percent (shaded orange) in severe drought and 52.40 percent (shaded beige) in moderate drought:

The yellow-shaded areas — 36.35 percent of Minnesota — are abnormally dry, but not yet in drought. For the first time this year, 100 percent of Minnesota was listed as either abnormally dry or in drought.

The showers and thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening were helpful in a few areas, but most locations didn’t see meaningful rainfall totals. Here’s the rainfall map from 7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday:

Notice the streaks of rain along the tracks of the strongest thunderstorms. Areas shaded green had anywhere from one-half of an inch (.50) to one-and-one-half (1.50) inches of rain.

Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network

, a volunteer observer network, posted this 24-hour rainfall plot:

I circled the 1.30-inch rainfall total in Paynesville and the 1.05-inch total near Belgrade, both towns in Stearns County. There wasn’t any measureable rain just a few miles to the south and southwest of those two locations.

Belgrade also had baseball-sized hail around 6:10 p.m. Thursday:

The official Thursday evening rainfall total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 16 one-hundredths (.16) of an inch. Holman Field near downtown St. Paul reported 49 one-hundredths (.49) of an inch.

There is a bit of instability in the atmosphere Friday, so a few scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible in Minnesota and western Wisconsin later this afternoon and evening. 

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: 

At 10 a.m. Friday, the air quality was still good over much of Minnesota, with moderate air quality in northwestern and west-central Minnesota.

Air quality is expected to deteriorate as we go through Friday afternoon and evening, due to Canadian wildfire smoke mixing down to ground level. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency posted an air quality alert for Minnesota from 8 a.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday:

Here are details of the alert, from the MPCA:

Orange air quality: Unhealthy for sensitive groups

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued an air quality advisory for all of Wisconsin that continues from today to noon on Sunday. Here are the details:

Much of Saturday will be dry, but there could be a few scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm in far northern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin late Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.

Far northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see a passing shower or thunderstorm Sunday and Sunday evening.

Saturday highs will be in the 70s in the northern third of Minnesota, with 80s elsewhere:

Saturday afternoon dew points will be in the summery 50s in most areas, with drier 40s in northern Minnesota:

Sunday high temps will range from 60s in far northern Minnesota to around 80 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area and southeastern Minnesota:

Sunday afternoon dew points will be in comfortable 40s to lower 50s:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the upper 70s on Monday, followed by lower 80s Tuesday and mid 80s on Wednesday and Thursday.

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

We have some rainfall totals from Thursday afternoon and evening. Some areas have a chance of rain later Friday. We also have details on the air quality alerts for Minnesota and Wisconsin and the weekend weather outlook.

Rainfall recap; details on Minnesota, Wisconsin air quality alerts

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