Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Heavy rains soaked the region at daybreak, with rumbling skies and strong gusts sweeping through at times. After a brief lull in the action, another round of showers and thunderstorms is possible late Saturday night, mainly targeting the south metro and southern Minnesota.

A strong mesoscale convective system (MCS) rolled through the state overnight, producing strong winds gusts of 75 mph in Granite Falls, and 79 mph in Hanley Falls. There was also significant tree damage reported in Lyon County.

As the storms moved eastward, they weakened below severe criteria but still produced heavy rainfall rates of up to 3 inches per hour.

A meandering frontal boundary stretches across the state and will remain the focus for additional showers and thunderstorms throughout the weekend.

Our showers and thunderstorms on Saturday are expected to clear by midday, with some afternoon sunshine possible as temperatures warm into the low 80s across the metro area. In the warm sector of the front, southern Minnesota will see temperatures climb into the mid to upper 80s, while cooler conditions prevail in the north with highs in the low to mid-70s.

Ongoing showers and thunderstorms are possible late Saturday night into Sunday morning along the frontal boundary, mainly targeting the southern metro and southern Minnesota.

Another chance for excessive rainfall is expected in southern Minnesota, including parts of the metro, as training thunderstorms move through the area.

Our unsettled weather pattern continues into Sunday and early Monday before high pressure moves in by Tuesday, bringing clearing skies and seasonal temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Mandy Thalhuber

Author

Heavy rains soaked the region at daybreak, with rumbling skies and strong gusts sweeping through at times. After a brief lull in the action, another round of showers and thunderstorms is possible late Saturday night, mainly targeting the south metro and southern Minnesota.


sat wx

Radar image from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday

NOAA via College of DuPage Weather

NOAA via Weather Prediction Center

National Weather Service

Forecast precipitation Saturday 7 a.m. to Sunday 1 p.m. 

NOAA via Pivotal Weather

Excessive rainfall outlook for Saturday into Sunday

Stormy Saturday rolls in: rain soakers and morning gusts

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