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80s return Friday; heavy rainfall potential next week

Warm weekend; Sunday looks lovely

Forecast high temperatures Friday
Forecast high temperatures Friday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Get ready for another summery preview, Minnesota.

A warm and breezy Friday is the opening act for a weekend that will feel more like June or July than May.

Friday brings plenty of sunshine and gusty south winds at or above 25 mph in the afternoon. Highs Friday will surpass 80 degrees in much of southern and even central Minnesota. A few bank thermometers could flash 90 degrees in southwestern Minnesota Friday afternoon.

Saturday brings similar warmth. Dew points may reach a slightly sticky 60 degrees around midday Saturday from the Twin Cities southward. But a cool front blowing through Minnesota will bring gusty west winds that will drop temperatures a few degrees behind the front.

Forecast high temperatures Saturday
Forecast high temperatures Saturday
NOAA

Sunday looks lovely, with lower humidity and pleasant temperatures.

Forecast high temperatures Sunday
Forecast high temperatures Sunday
NOAA

Heavy rain next week?

The forecast models have picked up on a more active weather pattern next week. Multiple systems look likely to bring rain Monday, Tuesday, and possibly next Friday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows multiple low-pressure systems pushing potentially heavy rainfall into Minnesota next week. The loop below runs between next Monday and Friday.

NOAA GFS model
Global Forecast System model next Monday through Friday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

Forecast models vary on locations and magnitude of the heaviest rain next week, but several models show between 1 and 3 inches of rain across big chunks of Minnesota. Some models have heavier totals next week.

Canadian model precipitation output
Canadian model precipitation output for the next 10 days
Environment Canada, via Pivotal Weather

Rivers, lakes, creeks, and ponds may be pushed higher next week.

Stay tuned.