Warm but dry; wet at times on Saturday

Warm but not steamy. That describes our Thursday weather in most of Minnesota.

Highs will be in the 80s over central and southern Minnesota, and dew point temperatures will be in the comfortable 50s in most spots.

Northern Minnesota will be cooler, with highs in the 70s.

Some spots in the north could see scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm late Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening.

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Warm Friday, then cooler

Friday's highs will be in the 80s in most of Minnesota:

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Northern Minnesota will top out in the 70s.

On Saturday, most of Minnesota will have highs in the 70s, with some 80s southeast:

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There won't be any need for air conditioning on Father's Day.

Sunday highs will be in the in the 60s in northern and central Minnesota, with lower 70s in the south:

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Looking ahead, Twin Cities metro area highs will rebound into the mid 70s Monday, then to around 80 on Tuesday and into the mid 80s Wednesday.

Our average high is 80 degrees by next Monday in the Twin Cities.

Rain chances increase on Saturday 

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon and Friday night in far southern Minnesota.

On Saturday, periods of rain and a few thunderstorms are expected statewide.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System model shows the potential rain pattern this weekend:

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NOAA GFS model precipitation rate Saturday and Saturday evening, via tropical tidbits

The chart to the right of the loop refers to the precipitation rate (mm per hour) not to the total amount of rain.

By Sunday, we're expecting just a chance of scattered showers.

Severe weather outlook

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a marginal risk of severe weather in far southern Minnesota Friday and Friday night:

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NWS Storm Prediction Center

A marginal risk means that an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible.

The marginal risk area expands northward on Saturday to include the southeastern tip of the Twin Cities metro area:

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NWS Storm Prediction Center

Ample rain 

Our official Twin Cities rainfall total was only .o2 of an inch at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during the first 10 days of June.

That's barely enough to wet a sidewalk!

Since then, we've tallied 2.24 inches at the airport, and we are .37 of an inch above normal for the month:

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NWS Twin Cities

We've also been warm, with an average monthly temp this June that is 8.6 degrees above normal.

Many Minnesotans have seen generous rain totals over the past week.

NOAA's seven-day rainfall map shows that some areas received three or more inches of rain:

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NOAA rain totals for the past 7 days

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. each Saturday and Sunday.