Steamy air moves in to end the week; thunderstorms at times on Saturday

Most Minnesotans enjoyed some great summer weather on Wednesday.

Our temps will be warmer on Thursday, with highs reaching the upper 80s in southern Minnesota:

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Northeastern Minnesota should top out in the lower 80s.

Friday will be the hottest day of the week, with highs well into the 90s for the southern half of Minnesota:

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Dew point temperatures will in the 70s on Friday, and heat index values are expected to be over 100 degrees in much of the southern half of Minnesota Friday afternoon. The heat index could reach 105 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area Friday afternoon.

Cooler air returns this weekend, with metro area highs in the mid 80s Saturday and lower 80s on Sunday.

Thunderstorm chances

Scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm are possible in northern Minnesota on Thursday.

A batch of thunderstorms could develop in North Dakota Thursday afternoon and evening, then move across about the northern half of Minnesota late Thursday night through Friday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern late Thursday night through Friday morning:

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NOAA NAM simulated radar from Thursday night through Friday morning, 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.

Some of the thunderstorms could be severe, and the Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a slight risk of severe weather in northwestern Minnesota Thursday through Thursday night:

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NWS Storm Prediction Center

Slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are possible.

The main severe weather threat in northwestern Minnesota will be Thursday night.

The Twin Cities metro area and about the southern half of Minnesota will probably see periods of showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Saturday night. Some of those thunderstorms could be strong to severe.

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

Flood warnings

Flood warnings continue along many rivers in the southern half of Minnesota.

The Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service shows these areas with flood warnings:

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NWS Twin Cities

The green-shaded areas have flood warnings, and you can click on the map on the NWS page to get warning details. You can also find graphical NWS updates on river levels for many spots around Minnesota throughout the day and night.

If the location of interest is not listed there, try the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page and click on a location for river level details and forecasts.

How wet has it been?

The seven-day rainfall totals are impressive over much of southern Minnesota:

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NOAA/NWS

The rain gauge at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is running near normal for June, but some spots in the metro have seen one inch or more of rain than the official tally at MSP airport.

Here's the precipitation graph for 2018 at MSP airport:

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Minnesota State Climatology Office

You can check annual precipitation totals for many areas around the state:

The running totals include the water content of any snow that fell.