Much more pleasant and brighter Wednesday

We enjoy a break from the wildfire smoke Wednesday and the sun is back thanks to high pressure. Highs will be mostly in the 70s. Shower chances increase heading into the weekend. 

Sunshine and clean air returns Wednesday 

High pressure has brought back sunshine and is cleaning the air for Wednesday. Temperatures will be in the 70s nearly statewide for afternoon highs with light winds.

We also get a much needed break from Canadian wildfire smoke. Air quality will continue to improve Wednesday and I think it will remain decent through Friday or Saturday. 

Check the latest air quality conditions, alerts and forecasts here:

While most of us will see a pleasant, dry day most of the day, there will be some isolated or spotty showers in northern Minnesota mainly Wednesday and mostly northern and western Minnesota Thursday.

A series of fast-moving, minor upper-level disturbances will roll through Friday into the weekend, bringing additional isolated to spotty rain chances of most of the state in a somewhat unsettled pattern.

These are essentially cool fronts aloft that generate brief bouts of instability. In between, we see clearing skies and dry weather. Timing each one out past 48 hours can be tricky.

The best chances of more widespread showers appears to be Thursday night into Friday morning and again Saturday night into Sunday morning. Each afternoon will see some instability generated by diurnal (daytime) heating, leading to more spotty showers or thunder.

Total rainfall over the several-day period will be modest. No one day will see soaking rains. Luckily, it appears northern Minnesota may see the most rainfall. Those areas have been largely missed by recent rains and are getting dry.

Temperatures will remain seasonable, mostly in the 70s, for highs for the rest of the week into the weekend. There are signs of things heating up midweek next week, back into the 80s.