Warmer Friday with spotty showers, thunder developing
Temps will be even warmer for Mother’s Day
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Updated 8:40 a.m.
A clipper system and cool front will be moving across the state Friday, creating the chance for spotty showers and thunder this afternoon. Saturday will be dry and Sunday will be very warm.
Another chance of spotty showers Friday
It’ll be warmer again Friday as a clipper system pulls back in some warmer air. Highs will be in the low 70s south to low 60s north.
That same clipper system and trailing cool front will help to develop some afternoon cumulus clouds, spotty showers and a couple thunderstorms. The best chance is in eastern Minnesota.
There’s a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) that one or two storms could be strong or severe with marginal hail and some brief wind gusts Friday afternoon and evening.
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Friday night will be cool again if you’re heading out bright and early for the Fishing Opener. Temperatures will be in the upper 30s to upper 40s just before sunrise Saturday (5:48 a.m.).
Saturday should be dry and mild with highs in the 70s and 60s, mostly with sunshine. Mother’s Day will be even warmer with 80s across southern Minnesota.
There will also be a few isolated thunderstorms Sunday with the next disturbance and cool front.
Midweek next week brings another chance of rain to the region.
Intense auroras possible Friday night
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Center has issued their first G4 level geomagnetic storm watch since 2005. A KP index of 8.33 is forecast for Friday night with peak activity 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Saturday. This means the auroras could be visible even into the south!
As always, it’s best to get away from city lights for the best views but no need to go north, the show could be intense statewide/region wide if everything aligns with earth’s magnetic field. Clouds from the daylight hours Friday will dissipate quickly, making for mostly clear skies for most of the state.
The sun is in an active phase of its 11 year solar cycle. Sun spot AR3664 has created several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) flying towards earth in the last few days. The sun spot is so large it’s visible from earth without any special equipment other than your left over eclipse viewing glasses (never look at the sun with the naked eye).
