Weekend weather: Friday night thunderstorm chance; pleasant Saturday, Sunday

Our weather will be a bit unsettled Friday afternoon and evening.

Northern and central Minnesota have the best chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms during the first half of Friday afternoon. Later in the afternoon and evening, that chance expands to include most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

According to the Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service, scattered severe thunderstorms will be possible later Friday afternoon and evening in the yellow-shaded portion of southern Minnesota and in parts of Wisconsin:

There is a marginal risk of severe weather by Friday evening in the darker-green shaded area that includes the Twin Cities metro area. Marginal risk means that an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible.

Here are the severe weather risk categories that are used by the Storm Prediction Center:

Numerous severe thunderstorms are possible in the enhanced risk area that covers much of northern and central Iowa plus far southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network. Also check out the MPR News display of NWS radar.

You can also watch these National Weather Service sites for updated weather info: Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Grand Forks, N.D.

Quiet weather returns this weekend

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see dry weather from sunrise on Saturday through sunset on Sunday.

There could be a passing shower in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin early Saturday. Parts of northern Minnesota could see a few scattered showers Sunday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern from 5 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday:

Weekend temps and dew points

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 83 degrees on July 29. Metro area highs are forecast to be in the lower 80s this Saturday.

The northern third of Minnesota and parts of northwestern Wisconsin will have Saturday highs in the 70s, with 80s elsewhere:

Saturday afternoon dew points will be in the relatively comfortable 50s in northern Minnesota, with lower 60s in the south:

Those lower 60s will be quite an improvement over our Friday dew points, which are in the upper 60s in the Twin Cities metro area and in the steamy 70s across southern Minnesota.

Sunday high temperatures will be in the 70s to the north, with mainly lower 80s in central and southern Minnesota:

Sunday afternoon dew points will be in the comfortable 50s in most areas:

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.