Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Friday should be mostly dry with decreasing afternoon clouds. More storms are possible over the weekend, some could be strong to severe. It will also be humid.

Dry Friday but steamy air returns, spawning some weekend storms 

Enjoy a mostly dry Friday after a soggy and stormy couple of days. We’ll start the day cloudy, but clouds should decrease in the afternoon. Most of the sunshine will be in western Minnesota and highs will range from the low 80s there to the low 70s northeast. 

We get a brief reprieve from high dew points Friday with most seeing dew points in the 50s to low 60s. 

The tropical air mass with dew points in the 70s marches back north Saturday and that will increase chances for storms, even strong to severe storms. 

Storms will develop in North Dakota Friday evening and will track into western Minnesota late Friday night into early Saturday. 

Most forecast models now hold these storms together, bringing them into the Twin Cities area by early (5 a.m. to 7 a.m.) Saturday morning. They will likely not be severe though as they reach eastern Minnesota. 

There’s a slight chance (level 2 of 5) of severe storms for portions of western Minnesota Friday night into early Saturday. The biggest threats for western Minnesota will be damaging wind gusts. 

We’ll see decreasing clouds into midday Saturday, allowing temperatures to warm well into the 80s to even low 90s in southwest Minnesota. 

That heat, combined with high dew points, will help spawn more storms in central Minnesota late afternoon or evening, which will then track east-southeast into the evening and overnight hours Saturday night. 

There’s a slight risk (level 2 of 5) of severe storms for central and southern Minnesota in the evening hours Saturday. All severe threats: large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes are possible. 

Sunday storm chances look more isolated with likely drier conditions and decreasing clouds. Highs Saturday and Sunday will be in the upper 80s with some low 90s in southwestern Minnesota. It will also be very humid. 

Drier air and more settled weather moves in for the early and middle part of next week as dew points drop. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Sven Sundgaard

Author

Friday should be mostly dry with decreasing afternoon clouds. More storms are possible over the weekend, some could be strong to severe. It will also be humid. 

Mainly dry Friday before a steamy, stormy first half of the weekend

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