Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Thursday severe weather risk; cool and mostly dry this weekend

Weekend lows in the 30s for northern Minnesota

A low-pressure system and an approaching warm front will spread areas of thunderstorms across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin Thursday afternoon and evening.

A few severe thunderstorms will be possible. Some spots could see an isolated severe thunderstorm in the early afternoon. More numerous severe thunderstorms are possible later Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows an enhanced risk of severe weather Thursday afternoon and evening in southeastern Minnesota and parts of southwestern Wisconsin, with a slight risk of severe weather elsewhere in southern Minnesota and through the Twin Cities metro area and into west-central Wisconsin:

rt0515d1c
Severe weather outlook Thursday and Thursday night
NWS Storm Prediction Center

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible, and enhanced risk means that numerous severe thunderstorms are possible:

rt0328risk
Severe weather risk categories
NWS Storm Prediction Center

Here’s the description of our severe weather risk from the Twin Cities NWS office:

rt0519d1d
Severe weather outlook Thursday and Thursday evening
National Weather Service

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Cool weekend

Our average Twin Cities low temperature on May 21 is 52 degrees and our average high is 71 degrees. Parts of the metro area will see lows in the lower 40s Saturday morning, with afternoon highs in the upper 50s.

Northern Minnesota will have Saturday morning lows in the 30s:

rt0521l3
Saturday morning forecast lows
National Weather Service

Saturday afternoon highs will be in the 40s in northwestern and north-central Minnesota, with 50s elsewhere:

rt0521h3
Saturday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Low temps early Sunday morning will be in the 30s in much of Minnesota, with lower 40s in the metro area and southeastern Minnesota:

rt0522l3
Sunday morning forecast low
National Weather Service

Sunday highs will be in the 50s in most areas:

rt0522h3
Sunday forecast high
National Weather Service

Any chance or rain this weekend?

A few very scattered showers are possible Saturday afternoon and evening in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Sunday looks dry.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.