Weather chaos ahead: Mostly steamy with thunderstorm waves

Buckle up Minnesota. It's going to get hot, sticky and loud over the next 72 hours.

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Heat first

Heat and humidity build as we move toward the weekend. Highs around 90 look likely depending on just how many hours of sunshine we get each day. The three-day heatwave ends next week with cooler breezes and highs in the 70s and 80s.

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NOAA via Weather Bell.

Sticky factor

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A surge of tropical humidity pushes north Friday. Dewpoints reach the sultry 70-degree mark across the region much of this weekend.

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Dew point forecast Friday afternoon via NOAA.

Weather chaos

The high-resolution weather maps look like a bad kindergarten painting project over the next few days. Waves of thunderstorms will be hard to time. Some of the storms will be severe, with highs winds and hail likely. I can't put a great deal of faith into any one model run when it comes to storm timing and coverage. But NOAA's NAM 3 km resolution model has been consistent in driving multiple storm waves across Minnesota.

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NOAA NAM 3 km resolution model via tropical tidbits.

Severe and flood risk

Any set of storms may pack severe weather and heavy rainfall over the next 72 hours. Areas between the Twin Cities and Duluth into northwest Wisconsin have the potential for 3" to 6" rainfall the next few days.

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Stay tuned and keep the weather radio handy.