Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Periods of rain Sunday, with some thunder too; Temps rebound Tuesday

Update on the timing of our rain

Saturday was a bit cool, and Sunday will be even cooler.

The Saturday high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 58 degrees. That’s four degrees shy of the average April 27 high temp in the Twin Cities.

Many areas will have Sunday highs in the 40s, with some 50s in far northwestern Minnesota and in parts of the far south:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could top 50 degrees.

Monday highs will be in the 40s in much of the northern half of Minnesota, with mainly 50s south:

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Monday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Tuesday will be the warmest day of the coming week, with 70s south and 60s and 50s to the north:

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Tuesday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 60s on Wednesday, followed by lower 60s Thursday and upper 50s on Friday.

Rain and thunderstorm chances

Much of Minnesota will be dry Saturday evening. Northeastern Minnesota could see some Saturday evening showers, and a shower or thunderstorm could clip far southeastern Minnesota later Saturday night.

Some strong to severe thunderstorms are possible Saturday evening and overnight Saturday night from north Texas northeastward into parts of Iowa and portions of Illinois and far southern Wisconsin.

The NWS Storm Prediction Center highlights the severe weather risk in those areas Saturday evening and overnight Saturday night:

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Severe weather outlook Saturday evening and overnight Saturday night
NWS Storm Prediction Center

Here are the severe weather risk categories that are used by the Storm Prediction Center:

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Severe weather risk categories
NWS Storm Prediction Center

A low pressure system will spread rain and some embedded thunderstorms into Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Sunday. Much of northern Minnesota could stay dry Sunday morning, with the rain arriving there Sunday afternoon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 7 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Sunday:

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NAM simulated radar from 7 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Sunday
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

NOAA’s High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) forecast models shows a similar rain pattern for that time period:

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HRRR simulated radar from 7 a.m. Sunday to 11 p.m. Sunday
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

Use the models as a general outlook, since thunderstorm coverage can’t be predicted with high accuracy one day in advance. Breaks in cloud cover during peak heating can lead to more extensive thunderstorm development.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network

Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the Twin CitiesDuluthLa Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D.

Wind advisory northeast Sunday p.m.

A wind advisory covers Carlton County, far southern St. Louis County and areas along the North Shore of Lake Superior from 4 p.m. Sunday into Monday morning:

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Wind advisory 4 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Monday
National Weather Service

Here are details of the wind advisory:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 237 PM CDT Sat Apr 27 2024 MNZ037-280900- /O.NEW.KDLH.WI.Y.0005.240428T2100Z-240429T1500Z/ Carlton and South St. Louis- Including the cities of Duluth 237 PM CDT Sat Apr 27 2024 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 10 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. * WHERE...Carlton and South St. Louis County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Fond du Lac Band. * WHEN...From 4 PM Sunday to 10 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Gale warnings are posted for Lake Superior beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday.

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.