Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Rain chance early on Monday, followed by warm breezes

Tuesday looks soggy

Some of us saw a shower Sunday afternoon, and a few locations had a brief downpour and some rumbles of thunder. Some locations didn’t see any rain at all. That’s how variable spring rains can be.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport recorded seven-hundredths of an inch of rain Sunday afternoon. It was the first measurable precipitation at MSP airport since April 14:

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MSP airport weather data April 1-25
NOAA/NWS

The precipitation column (highlighted) indicates rain or the water content of any snow that falls. Column 8 in the chart shows snow totals for each day. The last measurable precipitation at MSP airport was from the snow that fell on April 14.

Rain and thunder chances

Scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm will be possible in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin into Sunday evening. An area of showers with a few embedded thunderstorms is also expected to move into northwestern Minnesota Sunday evening, with the rain spreading across much of northern and central Minnesota during the overnight hours. The Twin Cities metro area and western Wisconsin could see some showers and thunderstorms later in the overnight hours.

Showers and thunderstorms may linger into Monday morning in parts of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Sunday evening through Monday morning:

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Simulated radar Sunday evening through Monday morning
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Tuesday looks wet, with periods of rain and some embedded thunderstorms. Here’s NOAA’s NAM model for Tuesday and Tuesday night:

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Simulated radar Tuesday through Tuesday night
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

Temperature trends

Sunday’s high of 68 degrees at MSP airport was 5 degrees above average for April 26. Monday will be even warmer, with metro area highs in the low-to-mid 70s.

Much of central and southern Minnesota will see highs in the 70s Monday afternoon:

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Monday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Highs will be mainly in the 60s elsewhere, with a few 50s possible in far northeastern Minnesota.

Twin Cities highs are projected to reach the lower 60s Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by upper 60s on Thursday and lower 70s on Friday.

I’m thinking that my lawn might need cutting by the end of the week.

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