Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

What November? Windy with record warmth Wednesday; rain chances Friday

The record high of 72 in the Twin Cities could fall Wednesday.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday.
NOAA

November is coming in like an overheated lamb.

Tuesday’s high of 71 degrees in the Twin Cities was 16 degrees warmer than average for November 1.

Now we get ready for a stiff southerly wind gradient to blow in even warmer air Wednesday. Wind will gust over 30 mph across Minnesota Wednesday.

High temperatures will push well into the 70s. The Twin Cities looks likely to top out around 76 degrees Wednesday afternoon.

That should be plenty warm enough to topple the record high of 72 degrees set in 1978. I happen to remember that day because I was in high school and we played golf after school on November 2 that year.

Thursday also looks warm, with less wind. Highs will again reach the 70s in much of Minnesota, but see the colder air pooling to the northwest?

Forecast high temperatures Thursday
Forecast high temperatures Thursday.
NOAA

By Friday the cold front will sweep through Minnesota with temperatures in the 40s. Road trip to Chicago anyone?

Forecast high temperatures Friday
Forecast high temperatures Friday.
NOAA

Rain chances by Friday

Thursday night into Friday bring another iffy low-pressure system into Minnesota. This one looks like another system with patchy, scattered rainfall. Here’s NOAA’s GFS model between 7 pm Thursday and 7 am Friday.

NOAA GFS model Thursday and Friday
NOAA GFS model between 7 pm Thursday and 7 am Friday.
NOAA via tropical tidbits

The Euopean model is more optimistic for some significant rainfall with this system. Tuesday’s model run cranks out a widespread zone of an inch of rain across most of eastern Minnesota including the Twin Cities area.

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output
European model (ECMWF) precipitation output through Saturday.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

Let’s see how the forecast models handle the system in the coming days. An inch of rain won't end the drought, but it would be helpful to parched plants and soils.