Periods of rain and thunder Thursday; a nice weekend

It's been a soggy summer in many parts of Minnesota, so it's no surprise that the U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought-free conditions across our favorite state.

There are a few small areas in northern Minnesota that are abnormally dry, but those areas are not in drought:

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U.S. Drought Monitor/USDA/NOAA/University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Rain outlook

Your umbrella will come in handy Thursday:

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  • A low-pressure system currently in northeastern South Dakota will track to the east-southeast, through southern Minnesota.

  • Northwestern, central and southern Minnesota (including the Twin Cities metro area) will have periods of rain, with some embedded thunderstorms.

  • Areas that see the most rain could see some localized flooding.

  • Northeastern Minnesota has a chance of evening showers.

A few scattered showers are still possible across Minnesota on Friday, on the back side of the departing low-pressure system.

Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and updates are also posted on the MPR News live weather blog.

Severe weather potential

The Storm Prediction Center  of the National Weather Service shows a marginal risk of severe weather Thursday and Thursday night in southern Minnesota and the southern part of the Twin Cities metro area:

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NWS Storm Prediction Center

Marginal risk means that an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible:

Temperature trends

Thursday afternoon highs will be mostly in the 70s across Minnesota, with a few lower 80s possible in the far north where they’ll have some sunshine.

Friday will also feature a lot of 70s:

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On Saturday, some lower 80s reappear from the Twin Cities metro area southward:

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Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to be in the lower 80s Sunday through Tuesday.

Programming note

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., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.