Extreme October: Crazy weather month opens wet

"I guess we're playing for keeps now! I guess the kidding around is pretty much over!" -- Assistant Groundskeeper Carl Spackler in "Caddyshack"

Welcome to October. This month of extremes in Minnesota can bring anything from beach weather  to blizzards. Yes, Minnesota's October's weather can bite like the "Caddyshack" Gopher.

October weather extremes in the Twin Cities:

• Warmest: 90 degrees (Oct.  3 1997 and Oct. 10, 1928)

• Coldest: 10 degrees (Oct. 30, 1925)

• Snowfall: 8.2 inches (Oct. 31, 1991-Halloween Mega Storm)

Batten down the hatches Minnesota. You may need more "seasonal therapy" as the week rolls on. October 2014 rolls in wet and cool.

A series of low pressure waves rides though this week, bringing a few rounds of showers and a clap of thunder. Here's the surface map sequence from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The heaviest rains still looks to fall in Wisconsin as the system gets better organized.

But eastern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, may get in on at least half an inch in some areas, with some 1-inch  totals possible in the east metro. A sharp rainfall gradient sets up just east of the metro, and rainfall totals of 2 inches or more look likely by the time you hit Eau Claire and the tip of Minnesota's Arrowhead.

Behind the low, Friday's chilly winds look attention getting. We will be reminded, there's nothing between Minnesota and the Arctic Circle but a barbed wire fence at the Canadian border. Temperatures may not climb much above 50 degrees Friday, and gusty northwest winds will make it feel closer to 40.

Mornings in the 30s and lower 40s this weekend?

Where's my jacket?

At least the Global Forecast System is throwing us a bone toward mid-October cranking out a couple of days at or near 70 degrees. Yes, it could be weather fantasy. But at this point I'll take it.

Potential Indian Summer after a frost? Stay tuned.