Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Steamy with isolated thunderstorms Wednesday

Marginal risk for severe storms but coverage will be spotty

Severe weather risk areas Wednesday
Severe weather risk areas Wednesday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Iowa Emergency Management

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center paints a marginal (Level 1 of 5) risk for severe storms Wednesday from the Twin Cities area north to the Canadian border (image above).

Overall storm coverage will be limited, but a few cells could approach severe limits Wednesday afternoon.

NOAA’s FV3 model shows spotty blips on the screen that represent isolated storm coverage around Minnesota between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday.

NOAA FV3 model
FV3 model between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

So most of Minnesota will stay dry Wednesday, but there could be some local downpours under stronger but isolated cells.

Air mass thunderstorms

Meteorologists call storms that are likely to develop Wednesday air mass thunderstorms.

That’s what you get when you have plenty of heat and humidity to boil up convection currents in a steamy summer atmosphere. But because there is no clear focusing mechanism like a strong cold front, storms can boil up randomly around Minnesota.

And we have enough heat and humidity Wednesday. Check out dew point values around Minnesota, including the steamy 70s across southern and western Minnesota.

Dew points Wednesday
Dew points Wednesday
NOAA

Hot midweek

Highs will approach 90 degrees again in parts of Minnesota Thursday.

Forecast high temperatures Thursday
Forecast high temperatures Thursday
NOAA

A cooler weather pattern will deliver highs in the 70s and lower 80s by the weekend into early next week.

Forecast high temperatures Monday
Forecast high temperatures Monday
NOAA

A few forecast models suggest we’ll see better chances for rainfall across Minnesota in the next 10 days.

Stay tuned.