Scattered rain and thunder overnight; steamy summerlike weekend ahead

Scattered rain and thunder continue to light up radars across parts of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Our wetter pattern is courtesy of a moist southerly tropical flow from the Gulf of Mexico. Check out the dew point map Thursday afternoon. You can clearly see the higher dew point air mass streaming north into Minnesota from the Gulf of Mexico.

Spotty rain and thunder

We’ll see more scattered rain and thunder cells Thursday night and Friday. Overall the trend for strongest cells shifts gradually south and east of the Twin Cities area.

NOAA’s latest NAM 3 km resolution model brings a cluster of storms through the southeast parts of the Twin Cities late Thursday afternoon, then favors most of the stronger cells across southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin through Friday.

Heavy rainfall totals

Last night’s rain and thunder cells dropped some impressive and much-needed rainfall across much of Minnesota. Northwest Minnesota’s drought area picked up some 1” to 2” rainfall totals. A long swath of between .50” and 2’+ ran from northwest Iowa through southwest Minnesota, the Twin Cities, to northern Minnesota.

I dumped 2.85” from my rain gauge at the Weather Lab in the southwest Twin Cities Wednesday night.

Forecast: Steamy summerlike weekend ahead

Friday and Saturday brings summerlike weather to Minnesota. Highs reach the 80s across much of Minnesota Friday afternoon.

Saturday will feel like July across much of Minnesota. Highs could approach 90 degrees across southner Minnesota including the Twin Cities.

Dew points Saturday afternoon will push the 65 to 70-degree range. It’s going to feel downright tropical out there.

You’ll be tempted to hit the nearest beach. But that water is still bracingly cold.