Rain Friday morning central Minnesota; pleasant Saturday; strong storms late Sunday

Let’s start off Friday with a band of rain across central Minnesota. Much of the light rain along the edges of the band showing up on radar is evaporating as it falls into our dry air.

This band is tracking eastward and will pass through the Twin Cities area Friday morning. Drying conditions will prevail for the afternoon as the wind comes around to the northwest and picks up a bit. Look for high temperatures from the mid-50s to mid-60s.

Here is a quick preview of the weather expected in and around the Twin Cities area through the weekend and into Monday:

Crisp Saturday morning, then a lovely autumn day

Dry high pressure will bring clearing skies and light winds Friday night. Widespread frost is likely to sparkle across northern Minnesota while central Minnesota north of the Twin Cities should get patchy frost.

The Twin Cities will have a low temperature around 45 but suburbs outside the urban heat island will be cooler.

After that rather cool start to the day, Saturday will become quite pleasant with just a gradual increase in clouds. High temperatures will range from the low 50s in the north to the low 60s in the south. The Twin Cities should have a high around 63.

Those conditions will provide a dandy day for enjoying the fall color across mainly northern Minnesota but also in the south central region around Albert Lea.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued its latest fall color map Thursday with reports from the state parks:

Stormy Sunday

Rounds of showers and thunderstorms will cross our state Saturday night and Sunday. Most of the rainmakers will be benign. However, an intensifying weather system is expected to generate strong thunderstorms over southwestern Minnesota late Sunday afternoon or evening.

These storms will then track northeastward toward the Twin Cities area Sunday night.

The Storm Prediction Center has posted a slight risk of severe weather for southwestern Minnesota for Sunday and a marginal risk of severe weather for the Twin Cities area for Sunday night.

Steamy Monday

Some showers and storms might linger into Monday, especially across northeastern portions of Minnesota Monday morning.

Those storms will be followed by a plume of very warm, muggy air that will spread across all of the state except the northwest. The Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota should warm into the low 80s with dew points well into the 60s.

Much cooler by midweek

Canadian high pressure will plow the muggy air out of the state after Monday. It will be a slow-moving system with that autumnal high hanging around through the end of next week.

Here is the forecast weather map for next Friday, Oct. 4:

Major early-season winter storm for Montana

A developing storm system is forecast to bring a high-impact snowstorm to north central Montana from Friday evening into early Monday.

Heavy, wet snow is likely for that lengthy period. Total accumulations of 15 to 36 inches are forecast for the plains east of the northern Rocky Mountains with strong winds possibly causing blizzard conditions and impossible travel around areas such as Cut Bank. Accumulations in excess of four feet are possible in the mountains including Glacier National Park.