Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Dropping dew points Tuesday; mostly dry Tuesday and Wednesday

Next chance of rain, thunder develops Thursday

Tue dews loop
Forecast dew points 7 a.m. Tuesday through 7 p.m.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather

Tuesday and Wednesday will be dry with more comfortable air. More rain develops Thursday into Friday. The weekend looks mostly dry.

Two dry days of weather ahead

Luckily, due to a very strong cap (warm air in the middle layers of the atmosphere that prevent storms from popping), most of central and southern Minnesota missed significant rainfall and severe weather Monday night. There were just a few swaths of rainfall.

24 hr rainfall
Estimated rainfall over the past 24 hours through early Tuesday
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather

Tuesday will still be warm with highs ranging from the mid-80s south to the mid-70s north. 

tue hi 8a
Forecast highs Tuesday
National Weather Service

The big shift today will be in the dew points. By afternoon, more comfortable dew points will spread statewide. 

Tue PM dew 5
Forecast dew points by Tuesday afternoon
National Weather Service

Tuesday night will bring lows into the 50s and 60s making for a more comfortable overnight.

tue nt lo
Forecast lows Tuesday night
National Weather Service

There will be some lingering sprinkles for southwestern Minnesota mainly Tuesday with the possibility of an isolated pop-up afternoon shower in southern Minnesota. We could also see a few, generally lighter, rain showers Tuesday night into very early Wednesday.

tue-wed prec
Forecast precipitation 7 a.m. Tuesday through 6 p.m. Wednesday
College of DuPage weather lab

We should remain dry with plenty of sunshine for Wednesday, too. Highs will be a little cooler, mostly in the 70s statewide. 

wed hi 8a
Forecast highs Wednesday
National Weather Service

Clouds will increase Thursday with the next chance of showers and thunderstorms developing into Friday. Any rainfall at this point with rising rivers will have to be monitored closely.  

thu-sat prec 8a
Forecast precipitation 7 p.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Saturday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

The weekend is looking nice and dry at this point with highs in the 70s before more storms develop Monday. In fact, it could be downright cool Saturday and Sunday with highs only in the low 70s in southern Minnesota.

week prec
Forecast additional rainfall this week through Saturday
WeatherBELL Analytics

Rising rivers

The larger rivers in Minnesota will be cresting in the next 24 to 48 hours. The Minnesota River at Henderson broke the record crest there by a couple of inches so far early Tuesday morning.

henderson
River level forecast for the Minnesota River at Henderson
National Weather Service

In St. Paul, the Mississippi River is forecast to reach major flood stage by late Tuesday and is expected to crest at a level beating 2019. This would make it the highest river level there in 23 years.

STP
River level forecast for the Mississippi River at St. Paul
National Weather Service