A mix of sunny and showery hours this Memorial Day weekend
Scattered rain and thunder overnight into Friday
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We’re dodging a few showers on the cusp of the first big warm-season holiday weekends, but it looks like we’ll enjoy more dry hours than rain this weekend. The best chance of getting wet favors Sunday morning through early afternoon.
First, we track a few scattered rain and thunder cells across Minnesota overnight and Friday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows a line of rain and thunderstorms moving across Minnesota overnight through Friday:
Northwestern Minnesota’s drought zone will see the heaviest rain. The Twin Cities will likely awake to rain and some embedded thunderstorms between about 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Friday.
Overall rainfall totals look significant in northwestern Minnesota, where 1 to 3 inches of rain is likely. The Twin Cities and southern Minnesota will likely pick up a range of rainfall between one-quarter inch and three-quarters of an inch through Friday.
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Highs Friday will make the low 70s south, but cooler air in the 50s will linger north under rainy skies.
Right now, Saturday and Memorial Day looks mostly dry across most of Minnesota. Sunday looks like the wettest day this weekend. NOAA’s Global Forecast System model shows a cluster of rain crossing Minnesota on Sunday. But skies may dry out later Sunday afternoon.
Highs Saturday will be in the 70s south with mainly 60s north.
Drought Update
We’re chipping away at drought again this week across Minnesota. we’re now down to 8 percent drought coverage from 11 percent last week.
Most of this week’s heavy rainfall occurred after the cutoff Tuesday morning for this week’s drought update. We’ll likely see more improvement in next week’s drought update.
It’s been a remarkable story to watch a major drought covering all of Minnesota get wiped by successive storms out over the past few months!
