Two more pleasant days; periods of rain begin on Sunday

Minnesotans will be celebrating National Coffee Day Friday beneath the blue skies of dry Canadian high pressure. The cold front that scattered a few sprinkles across the state yesterday has departed to points well to our southeast.

Temperatures on the back side of that cold front will be a bit cooler than Thursday and close to the seasonal normals. Expect afternoon highs from around 60 near Canada to the upper 60s across southern Minnesota. The Twin Cities should have a high near 65. Winds will be light from the north.

Frost, you say?

Yes, I do. Saturday will bring us our coldest morning since last spring. So that means frost, those sparkly little crystals that our petunias dislike. A frost advisory has been issued for the Minnesota Arrowhead, the Duluth area and across northern Wisconsin where temperatures dropping into the mid 30s will generate widespread frost.

The Twin Cities proper should have a low around 43 Saturday morning, but some suburbs,especially northeastern ones, could drop into the upper 30s. Temperatures in the upper 30s are cold enough to produce frost if the sky is clear and the wind is calm.

After a chilly start, tomorrow will bring us increasing clouds and high temperatures in the 60s.

So, look forward to two days of lovely weather before rain gauges become active on Sunday and continue to be busy well into next week.

Sunday

Sunday will be a day of transition into a soggy period.

Sunday will begin dry but then should eventually turn rainy with even the chance of an isolated thunderstorm. Timing is uncertain at this point, but I think that it is likely that the Twin Cities Marathon will begin under dry conditions in Minneapolis Sunday morning.

It is also likely to remain dry as the competitive runners reach St. Paul, but rain could be getting close as the joggers finish.

The final regular season game for the Twins Sunday afternoon has a chance of a little rain, as well.

High temperatures on Sunday should range from the upper 50s to upper 60s. And it will be a breezy day.

Next week

Periods of rainy weather will continue for Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday looks like it might be the dry day of the week before more lengthy periods of rain return for Thursday and Friday. Many locations are likely to pick up from one to three inches of rain by next Friday.

Tropical weather update

While Hurricane Lee is expected to dissipate over the central Atlantic Ocean tomorrow, Tropical Storm Maria is forecast to become a rather sturdy extra-tropical cyclone as it accelerates toward Ireland.

Also, a new disturbance has formed off the southern tip of Florida. While it is not a tropical storm, this disturbance is likely to bring locally heavy rain to Florida over the next few days.

Significant rain is already underway across the Keys and southern Florida this morning.

Now it's time to start the revelry that is National Coffee Day.