Fresh start; Thunder threat west today & tonight; Long summer?
Did you feel it in the air this morning?
A fresh bubble of Canadian high pressure nosed into Minnesota overnight. The weak but effective cool front slipped south Monday evening, temporarily pushing the humid weather gunk into southern Minnesota, and delivering a fresh cooler air mass (and some good sleeping weather) overnight!
Temperatures fell into the 50s into the northern metro suburbs, and it was as cool as 54 in Mora and Hinckley...and 50 in Moose Lake this morning!
MSP Airport bottomed out at 68 this morning, but the dew point fell a full 11 degrees since Monday afternoon from a sticky 67 to a comfy 56 this morning! That's why this morning felt fresh and clean.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Dew points in the comfortable 50s this morning!
Classic sunset last night:
A quick bonus shot from sunset on Lake Minnetonka last night as the front slipped through the metro.
Colorful sunset over Big Island on Lake Minnetonka Monday.
Next rain system moves in tonight:
The next low pressure wave is spawning showers & T-Storms in the Dakotas today. The storms will move east as the day wears on and focus on western Minnesota by later today. It looks like the best chances for storms in eastern Minnesota and the metro will come after 3am though Wednesday morning.
Some rain and thunder may greet commuters Wednesday morning in the metro. The highest risk for severe storms is in the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota through tonight.
Greatest severe risk focuses on the Eastern Dakoats and central MN through 7am Wednesday.
There is a slight risk of a severe storm into the metro Wednesday morning...but the time of day makes it less likely we'll see widespread severe storms.
Overall rainfall totals seem to hint at around .50" for the metro give or take. The highest risk for heavy rains appears to be from western Minnesota into the central areas including Brainerd & St. Cloud...when over an inch may fall locally in the heavier storms.
Moderate heat & humidity build late week:
It's going to feel like summer right into the weekend, but not as oppressively hot as what we saw last week. Look for highs near 90 with dew points near 70. Hot & humid yes...but pretty typical heat for late July in Minnesota.
Signs summer may linger this year?
After our reluctant spring you might think we'd catch a break with a longer late summer weather pattern. You might be right.
Check out the CPC 3-month outlook that shows a slight bias towrad warmer than average temps for the 3-moth period from August through October.
I've always said that the next 60 days (August & September) brings arguably the best weather of the year in Minnesota. If we can get milder than average weather to linger through October, it makes for a fantastic end to summer and a great start to fall in those years. Early signs indicate this could be one of those "late season bonus weather" years.
Stay tuned!
PH