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Saturday Weather Outlook
For those wanting a dry Mother's Day weekend, well, I'm sorry but it does look like we will see a few showers move across southern Minnesota as we head into Saturday and Saturday Night. The loop above (from WeatherBell) goes from 7 AM Saturday to 7 AM Sunday, showing the rain chance moving into the metro mainly during the afternoon and overnight hours.
So we will keep an eye on those showers moving in later in the day in the metro Saturday. Otherwise, clouds will be on the increase through the morning and midday hours with morning temperatures starting off in the upper 30s climbing to the mid/upper 50s for highs.
The best chance of rain Saturday will be from about I-94 southward, with sunnier skies expected as you head north. Highs will mainly be in the 50s across the state Saturday, with 40s hanging on in portions of the Arrowhead. These highs will up to 15F degrees below average, especially in southwestern Minnesota.
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Mother's Day Sunday Weather Outlook
As we head toward Mother's Day Sunday, we will see a fairly cloudy day across much of the state, with the best chance of seeing mainly sunny skies up around Roseau and International Falls. Otherwise, across southern Minnesota, we will once again track the potential for a few afternoon showers - but they will be much more isolated vs. Saturday.
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Warmer Into Next Week
While highs could pop up to around 60F for Mother's Day, we'll stick in the 50s through Monday before we finally start to see a push of warmer air for the middle of next week with highs in the 60s.
As we look a little farther out, we could see highs approaching 70F as we get to the end of next week and the Fishing Opener next weekend, which would be right around average for mid-May.
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A Few Showers Possible For Mother's Day Weekend
By D.J. Kayser, filling in for Paul Douglas
NOAA released its new set of 30-year averages on Tuesday, covering the 1991-2020 time period and replacing the previous 1981-2010 averages. Comparing the two sets of data for the Twin Cities, the new set of averages is warmer (by 0.7F degrees) and wetter (by 1.01") than the previous. We are also observing less snow, as our yearly average went from 54.4" to 51.2" - a decrease of 3.2". Also - fun fact - December is now the snowiest month of the year, dethroning January from the top spot.
As we head into Mother's Day weekend, highs remain below average in the upper 50s - a far cry from that 87F last Saturday at MSP! Our current average high is in the mid-60s. Clouds will be on the increase today ahead of some afternoon and evening showers across southern Minnesota. Mainly cloudy skies are expected Mother's Day Sunday with again a few afternoon showers possible.
We'll track another chance of rain mid-next week, otherwise, we will finally see warming temperatures with highs around average by the Fishing Opener next weekend.
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D.J.'s Extended Twin Cities Forecast
SATURDAY: Increasing clouds. Afternoon showers in southern Minnesota. Wake up 39. High 57. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind ESE 5-10 mph.
SUNDAY: Isolated PM showers for Mother's Day. Wake up 39. High 58. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NE 5-10 mph.
MONDAY: Morning sun, afternoon clouds. Wake up 38. High 58. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mainly sunny. Warmer. Wake up 40. High 64. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind WNW 3-8 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Dry start. Afternoon rain showers. Wake up 45. High 64. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind S 5-10 mph.
THURSDAY: A few lingering showers? Sun/cloud mix. Wake up 45. High 65. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Highs finally around average. Wake up 47. High 70. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 5-15 mph.
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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
May 8th
*Length Of Day: 14 hours, 35 minutes and 19 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: ~2 minutes and 31 seconds
*When Do We Climb To 15 Hours Of Daylight? May 19th (15 hours, 0 minutes, and 40 seconds)
*When Is The Sunrise At/Before 5:30 AM?: May 30th (5:30 AM)
*When Is The Sunset At/After 8:30 PM?: May 11th (8:31 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
May 8th
1924: A snowstorm brings up to 4 inches to parts of Minnesota. Minneapolis sees a half inch of snow with St. Paul picking up an inch. Up to 50 mph winds accompany the snow.
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National Weather Forecast
On Saturday, showers and thunderstorms will be possible with a few areas of low pressure near the northeastern United States. Meanwhile, we will be watching a system pushing out of the western United States bringing the chance of rain/snow showers from the Northern Rockies and Northern High Plains to the Colorado Rockies, with storms stretching farther east into the central U.S. and the Ohio River Valley.
For your Mother's Day Sunday, the system impacting the central U.S. on Saturday will continue to move eastward, with showers and storms stretching from the Northeast to the Southern Plains. Rain and snow showers will continue to be possible back across portions of the western U.S.
Through the weekend, the heaviest rain is expected to fall across portions of the mid-Mississippi Valley into the Ohio River Valley, where at least 1-2" of rain could fall. Several inches of snow could accumulate up in the Cascades and Northern Rockies.
Meanwhile, as we head into next week we are likely to see another round of heavy rain across portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Deep South, with at least 2-4" of rain possible.
And this area of the country doesn't necessarily need rain at the moment. Some areas from Louisiana to Alabama and even Georgia have picked up at least 3-5" of rain so far this month. I wouldn't be surprised to see some flooding issues across the region if we do get an additional round of heavy rain next week.
Meanwhile, the tropical season could get off to an early start in the eastern Pacific as we are already tracking an area of low pressure that could develop over the next few days. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season technically does not start until May 15. Below is what the National Hurricane Center had to say on the system Friday morning:
1. An area of low pressure located several hundred miles southwest of the southern coast of Mexico is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Development of this system is possible during the next few days, and a short-lived tropical depression or tropical storm could form over the weekend or early next week while moving west-northwestward at about 10 mph. * Formation chance through 48 hours...medium...40 percent. * Formation chance through 5 days...medium...60 percent.
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Heads Up! A Used Chinese Rocket Is Tumbling Back to Earth This Weekend
More from The New York Times: "No, you are almost certainly not going to be hit by a 10-story, 23-ton piece of a rocket hurtling back to Earth. That said, the chances are not zero. Part of China's largest rocket, the Long March 5B, is tumbling out of control in orbit after launching a section of the country's new space station last week. The rocket is expected to fall to Earth in what is called "an uncontrolled re-entry" sometime on Saturday or Sunday. Whether it splashes harmlessly in the ocean or impacts land where people live, why China's space program let this happen — again — remains unclear. And given China's planned schedule of launches, more such uncontrolled rocket re-entries in the years to come are possible."
April 2021 was fairly dry and a bit warm for much of the U.S.
More from NOAA: "April 2021 was much drier and slightly warmer than normal, on average, across the contiguous U.S., according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. The month saw the lowest number of tornadoes in nearly three decades. The average April temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 51.9 degrees F (0.9 of a degree above the 20th-century average), which ranked in the middle third of the record. The average precipitation for the month was 2.03 inches — 0.49 of an inch below average — that ranked as the 14th driest April in 127 years, and the driest April since 1989."
The world needs to dramatically cut methane emissions to avoid worst of climate change, UN says
More from CNBC: "A landmark United Nations report has declared that drastically cutting emissions of methane, a key component of natural gas, is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global climate change. The report, published Thursday by the Climate and Clear Coalition and the U.N. Environment Programme, represents a shift in the worldwide conversation on how to best address the climate crisis, which has focused on longer-term carbon dioxide reduction. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon and doesn't last as long in the atmosphere before it breaks down. This makes it a critical target for reducing global warming more quickly while simultaneously working to reduce other greenhouse gases. More than half of global methane emissions come from oil and gas extraction in the fossil fuel industry, landfills and wastewater from the waste sector, and livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation in the agricultural sector."
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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).
- D.J. Kayser
