Frosty nights ahead with the return of blue skies

We hit our high temperatures for Thursday shortly after midnight last night, and it’s been a slow, steady cool down ever since. Breezy northwest winds have helped usher in cooler air, while stubborn cloud cover has made it difficult for sunshine to break through.

Northern Minnesota managed to squeeze out a little sunshine this afternoon, but much of the southern half of the state remained locked in with clouds.

Looking for our first freeze/frost

The big story heading into Thursday night will be our close attempt at our first frost in the Twin Cities this season. In fact, we’ll have two opportunities to see temperatures dip to near or below freezing, with Thursday and Friday night both worth watching.

High pressure will build into the region, bringing seasonable temperatures Friday and into the upcoming weekend.

Dry conditions and plenty of sunshine will be on tap for the first full weekend of November, with temperatures climbing into Monday looking more like early September than early November. We'll see temperatures reaching 60 degrees on Monday.

Much-needed rainfall makes a dent in Minnesota's drought

One of the biggest positives from our recent weather pattern has been the incredible amount of rainfall across Minnesota. Several areas picked up 2 to 4 inches of rain, with some locations across northeastern Minnesota seeing totals approaching or exceeding 5 inches!

This was about as beneficial of a rainfall event as we could have hoped for. After an extended stretch of dry conditions, the soaking rain has helped replenish soil moisture, boost lake and river levels, and provide some much-needed relief to areas dealing with drought.

And the latest drought monitor confirms just how much of a difference this rainfall has made. The Nov. 5 update shows substantial improvement across Minnesota. Moderate drought has dropped to just under 25 percent, severe drought to less than 3 percent, and the extreme drought category has been eliminated.