Rain-free in most areas until Memorial Day; life jacket reminder

Two out of the three days this holiday weekend will be good for outdoor activities.  You might want to have a "plan B" for outdoor events on Memorial Day.

On to the details.

Temperature trends

Saturday afternoon highs will be in the 60s across most of northern and central Minnesota, with some lower 70s in the south. Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could top out near our average May 25 high temp of 72 degrees.

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Much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see highs in the 70s on Sunday, with some 60s in far northern Minnesota:

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Most areas will have highs in the 60s on Memorial Day:

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Some lower 50s are expected Monday along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 70 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by lower 70s Thursday and Friday.

Rain and thunder chances

The northern half of Minnesota has a chance of a few very scattered showers Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.

Sunday looks dry in most areas.  Parts of northwestern and north-central Minnesota could see scattered showers/an isolated t-storm late Sunday afternoon or Sunday evening.

As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Periods of rain, with some embedded thunderstorms, are expected across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin overnight Sunday night and on Memorial Day.

he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Sunday evening through Monday night:

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NOAA NAM simulated radar from Sunday evening through Monday night, via tropicaltidbits

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of rain.

It will rain in some areas that look dry in the NAM loop, but the loop illustrates the general rain pattern.  Forecast models show the potential for one to two inches of rain Monday in parts of southern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a slight risk of severe weather Monday and Monday night for several Minnesota counties along the Iowa border, with a marginal risk elsewhere in southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area:

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NWS Storm Prediction Center

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible, while marginal risk indicates that an isolated severe thunderstorm is possible:

Lakes are cold

With a lot of folks out on our beautiful lakes this Memorial Day weekend, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has this timely reminder:

The Minnesota DNR has posted additional information about safe boating tips and boating regulations here.

I hope that you have a great holiday weekend.