Much cooler for Monday with April showers and thunder
April took quite a pleasant turn over the weekend. Shrubs around the Twin Cities were budding. Forsythias began to bloom. Many lawns got raked.
But what a range of temperatures on Sunday across Minnesota. While the Twin Cities warmed to 77 after the morning rain and Mankato got toasted to 86 degrees, the high temperature reached just a meager 48 in Grand Rapids, Hibbing and Two Harbors.
The weather map has changed as we begin the work week. A stationary front has set up across southeastern Minnesota, leaving the rest of the state on its chilly side.
April showers and thunderstorms
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Numerous showers and thunderstorms will roll across southern, central and northeastern Minnesota, as well as much of Wisconsin on Monday. Locations with persistent storms could pick up an inch or more of rain by sunset.
Showers and thunderstorms got cranked up by very early on Monday and will continue:
Most of the lightning in the country early this Monday has been flashing in Minnesota:
Most of the rainy areas will see afternoon high temperatures just from the upper 40s into the 50s. The Twin Cities should have a cool high temperature around 52 with a gusty northeast breeze of 15-25 mph.
Meanwhile, mostly sunny northwestern Minnesota will warm into the mild 60s. And the southeastern corner in the lingering balmy air around Caledonia should warm into the 60s and low 70s.
A warmup Tuesday and Wednesday
Look for seasonable readings on your thermometer on Tuesday. High temperatures will be mainly from the mid50s to the mid-60s with light winds. The Twin Cities should have a near-normal high of about 63.
Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week. Sunny skies are forecast to bring high temperatures from the low 60s around International Falls and Ely in the far north to the mid-70s in the south. The Twin Cities area should peak in the low 70s.
Mid-week cold front
A weak cold front will slide southeastward across the state Wednesday night. Expect localized showers as it passes.
Also expect cooler air for a few days behind the front.
Weekend planning outlook
Next weekend is a long way away meteorologically, but the early outlook is that a rather tight, cranked up low-pressure system is likely to bring us some precipitation on Saturday. Most of the precipitation will fall as rain, but a touch of snow is possible near the Canadian border before it ends.
Sunday should be the sunnier day of the weekend but rather cool for late April. High temperatures on the back side of that weather system could be just in the 40s in northern Minnesota and 50s across the center and south.
April sure can be fickle.