Weekend soaker; 2015 warmest on record globally so far

Weather practitioners catch a lot of grief during a long Minnesota winter. Do we get a bonus for a picture perfect weather week in April?

  • 75 degrees - high temp at MSP Airport Friday

  • 5th day this April at or above 70 degrees

  • +5 degrees vs. average this month

  • +10 degrees vs. April 2014

417 mn
Sunny and warm Friday afternoon brings out the masses at Lake Minnetonka. Manyard's web cam.

There may be a little good news for everyone in the weekend forecast.

Political Coverage Powered by You

Your gift today creates a more connected Minnesota. MPR News is your trusted resource for election coverage, reporting and breaking news. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Our weekend weather is a split decision. How about a mostly dry and mild Saturday, then a much needed soaking rain Saturday night and Sunday? That's the likely sequence of events this weekend as a fairly respectable low pressure system pushes a few waves of rain and some thunder into the Upper Midwest.

417 maps
NOAA

The latest model runs have slowed the system down a few hours. A wave of rain showers gathers in southwest Minnesota Saturday and moves northeast.

We may squeak out a mostly dry Saturday in the Twin Cities and points east, but by early evening all bets are off as bands of showers and embedded thunderstorms move in.

Saturday night and Sunday look just plain wet, as much needed April showers and a few embedded thunderstorms roll through. A good Sunday to curl up with a good book and your favorite weather blankie?

417 pcp anim
NAM model 3 hour rainfall animation. ModelWeather.com

Here's a closer breakdown of the weekend by the hours for the Twin Cities.

417 kky
Weatherspark

Rainfall totals look impressive with this system. A good half-inch looks like a lock, with many rainfall totals at or above the 1-inch mark this weekend.

417 qpf
NOAA

April reality check next week

We've been leading charmed weather lives this April. So far this month temperatures are running a full 5 degrees warmer than average in the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota, and about 10 degrees warmer than last April.

That changes next week. Our upper air flow turns northwest, and that brings temperatures as much as 30 degrees colder for a few days next week.

417 cr
Climate Reanalyzer

Bye bye 70s; hello 40s!

417 kky2
Weatherspark

And yes, we can't rule out a few renegade snow flakes around Minnesota next week. Right now I don't see any significant accumulations in most of Minnesota, but the far north may see a little on the ground. Heavy snow falls next week in Ontario!

417 snow
NOAA via wxcaster.com

2015 warmest on record so far globally

Last year was the warmest year on record globally. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports the first quarter of 2015 was the warmest year on record so far.

417 2015
NOAA

Global highlights: Year-to-date (January–March 2015)

  • During January–March, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.48°F (0.82°C) above the 20th century average. This was the highest for January–March in the 1880–2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2002 by 0.09°F (0.05°C).

417 20151
NOAA