‘Unhealthy’ air quality expected in eastern Minnesota through Monday afternoon due to wildfire smoke

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It will be a steamy one Sunday with afternoon heat index values over 100 degrees. Storms are possible late Sunday into the night. A weak cool front will drop temps and dew points, but just slightly. 

Extreme heat Sunday with some possible storms, followed by slight drop in temps, dew points late Monday 

It’s a hot one this Sunday. Afternoon highs will be well into the 90s to potentially near 100 degrees in far western Minnesota. Skies will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy across the state. 

With dew points in the low 70s, the afternoon heat index will be over 100 degrees across most of central, southern and western Minnesota. 

We’re also on the lookout for some possible storms Sunday evening and overnight. The atmosphere is pretty capped with warm air aloft preventing storms from developing, except perhaps in northern Minnesota late this afternoon and evening. 

If storms can develop, they could expand and dive south in the overnight. Here’s one likely scenario from NOAA’s high resolution rapid refresh forecast model: 

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is more aggressive, with overnight storms reaching the Twin Cities metro. 

Any storms that do fire up have the potential to become severe, with lots of energy resulting from the hot, humid air mass and shear aloft. 

There’s an enhanced risk (level 3 of 5) forecast for severe weather from east central Minnesota into Wisconsin with a broad slight risk (level 2 of 5) for most of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The most likely hazards will come from damaging wind gusts and large hail. In addition, any storms that pop could produce very heavy rainfall due to the high dew points in this air mass. 

A weak cool front moves through Monday. It will mostly drop dew points from the low 70s into the low to mid 60s. Temperatures will still well into the 90s Monday, but by Tuesday, temps dip slightly to near 90 degrees.

The next chance of storms will come Thursday night into Friday as the next weak cool front slides through the region. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Sven Sundgaard

Author

It will be a steamy one Sunday with afternoon heat index values over 100 degrees. Storms are possible late Sunday into the night. A weak cool front will drop temps and dew points, but just slightly. 


Extreme heat Sunday with some possible storms

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