Periods of rain today; some Sunday sunshine

I'm wondering who might be enjoying our rainy Saturday. Minnesota farmers don't need additional rain right now. Golf courses are lush from tee to green, and lawns aren't parched.

Maybe shopping malls and movie theaters will see a spike in business.

We'll have periods of rain today over most of Minnesota and Wisconsin. An isolated thunderstorm is also possible.

The National Weather Service North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the expected rain pattern today:

The steadiest rains will tend to shift eastward as we go through the afternoon hours.

The middle of the loop shows our dry Sunday, and the end of the loop shows showers over far northern Minnesota on Monday morning.

It'll be very cool today, with most spots seeing highs in the 60s:

Some locations, including the Twin Cities, could touch 70 as the rain tapers off later this afternoon.

Our average high this time of year in the Twin Cities is 80 degrees.

Flash flood watch southeast

Recent heavy rains have left the ground almost saturated in some areas, and localized flooding could occur in parts of southeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin today.

The La Crosse office of the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch, valid until 7 p.m. today, from Wabasha county MN (including the city of Wabasha) through Buffalo county WI, and areas southeast:

Brighter Sunday

The low pressure system that is causing today's rain and wind will move away tonight, and a high pressure system will spread over the upper Midwest on Sunday:

We'll have some Sunday sunshine, and lighter winds.

High temps rebound a bit on Sunday:

Many spots will see lower 70s tomorrow, with some mid 70s possible to the southwest.

We'll be back into the 80s Monday through Wednesday, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates at 7:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday on Minnesota Public Radio.