Nice weekend

We are stuck in a nice weather pattern!

A high-pressure system remains to our southeast, giving us mild southerly breezes:

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Highs will be mostly in the 70s today, with some 60s near Lake Superior:

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Wildfire winds

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Firefighters battling the wildfire near Foss Lake in Superior National Forest will encounter winds of 6 to 12 mph with some higher gusts today. Similar winds are expected tomorrow, but winds of 12 to 20 mph are possible by Sunday afternoon. Hopefully the wildfire will be under control well before Sunday.

The U.S. Forest Service released this information on the Foss Lake wildfire last night:

Incident Overview

Issued: May 19, 2016 at 9:30 p.m.

Fire Information: 218-208-4544 and updates will be posted on inciweb@nwcg.gov

Location and Size: Township 63 N, Range 14 W, Section 26. This fire is located 6 miles from Ely, MN in St. Louis County, one mile west of the southwestern edge of Burntside Lake, north of Foss Lake, south of Crab Lake. It is burning north into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). There is no estimate on the size at this time. An estimate will be made tomorrow morning when smoke has dissipated. No control or containment estimates at this time.

Description: The fire has laid down for the night. With decreasing winds and higher relative humidity aircraft made good progress checking the growth of the fire on both the east, west and north sides. There was no growth to the south. Aircraft and ground crews will continue to work tomorrow to reinforce today’s progress. Additional crews and resources will also be arriving to assist with management of the fire.

Message: There is no threat to the towns of Ely, Winton, Tower or Soudan. No structures are threatened. Good fuel reduction work completed in the last two years on Burntside increases fire fighters ability to manage the eastern edge.

The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Crab Lake entry point into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). All other BWCAW entry points remain open.

U.S. Forest Service updates on the Foss Lake wildfire will be found here.

Wildfire photos from yesterday have been posted by the Ely Echo :

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Ely Echo

A better Saturday

Last Saturday was very windy, with a high of only 52 degrees in the Twin Cities. We started out with 34 degrees and a wind chill temperature of 24 in the morning!

What a difference a week makes! Our low temp in the Twin Cities will be in the lower 50s this Saturday, and our high will be around 76. That is a nice change!

70s will be very widespread on Saturday:

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A few spots near the north shore of Lake Superior might top out in the 60s.

Sunday highs will be slightly warmer:

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We could touch 80 in the Twin Cities!

Monday rain

A low-pressure system moves closer by early Monday, and we are expecting some showers and thunderstorms:

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National Weather Service/Global Forecast System

Showers and thunderstorms could arrive in western Minnesota as early as Sunday evening.

A strong or severe thunderstorm will be possible Monday and Monday night.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates weekend mornings at 7:35 a.m. on Minnesota Public Radio.