Paul Douglas On Weather
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Rain Chances Increase Friday

For Cinco de Mayo, we're going to be watching more cloud cover here in the metro with the chance of some showers (and a few rumbles of thunder) as we head throughout the day. I personally think these rain chances could start as early as the morning hours, with better chances toward the evening and overnight hours.

We will watch some scattered showers across the state on Friday, with better chances late in the day across southern Minnesota. Highs range from the 40s and 50s along the North Shore and in the Arrowhead (due to breezy winds off of Lake Superior) to near 70F in southern Minnesota.

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Closer Look At Rain Chances Through The Weekend

Forecast loop from 1 AM Friday to 7 PM Saturday

A lot of the rain chances during the day Friday will be across southern Minnesota and along the North Shore. As we head into Friday Night, rain chances will spread a little farther north into central and northeastern Minnesota. In the metro, we could see a break in the rain during the morning hours Saturday, with more showers and storms moving in during the mid/late afternoon hours. While not shown above, most of Sunday could be dry for the Twin Cities - with more rain chances moving in late in the day or the overnight hours.

Total Rain Expected Through 7 AM Monday

Across a good portion of the state, at least half an inch of rain could fall through the weekend. The best chances of seeing at least an inch will be across portions of western and southern Minnesota and along the North Shore.

So looking at that weekend forecast here in the metro, we will continue to watch shower and storm chances - even though there won't be any all-day washouts. The best chances will be during the second half of the day Saturday into Saturday night, and again Sunday afternoon into Sunday night. Highs will be in the upper 60s this weekend.

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Shower And Storm Chances Continue Next Week

6-Hour Precipitation Loop From 7 PM Sunday to 7 AM Saturday.

We will continue to see multiple rain chances in the forecast next week, but no all-day washouts are currently expected, and not every day may feature rain.

Highs next week look to remain around/slightly above average, settling in the upper 60s to low/mid-70s - including into the Fishing Opener/Mother's Day weekend. Not too shabby for highs, so you'll want to get out and enjoy it in between those rain chances next week!

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Puddle Potential Today Into Saturday
By Paul Douglas

I remember Minnesota Fishing Openers with icy lakes and windblown flakes. Who doesn't love frozen fish? No flurries in '23 but ice-free lakes may come down to the wire up north. "As of Tuesday, the vast majority of lakes I saw in northeastern Minnesota were ice-covered" said Minnesota's Senior Climatologist, Dr. Kenny Blumenfeld. A few channels were open. According to Blumenfeld "We have great conditions for chewing through the ice cover, but it's going to be a nailbiter on some of those lakes."

The magic is fading, for now. A soggy warm front sparks showers and a few T-storms for Cinco de Mayo into much of Saturday, with over 1" rain south of the Twin Cities. Have a Plan B (indoors). Then again, you do have the freedom to get soaked.

Skies dry out and brighten up on Sunday with highs near 70F, but watch for a late-day T-storm. In other news it won't snow. But I do see thundery outbreaks every 2 days or so into next week, with highs in the 70s. After 2 lovely Marches in a row, I can live with that.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Cooler, showers & T-storms. Wake up 49. High 64. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind E 10-15 mph.

SATURDAY: Rain likely, few T-storms nearby. Wake up 55. High 66. Chance of precipitation 100%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

SUNDAY: Drier and brighter. Late-day thunder? Wake up 57. High 72. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind S 7-12 mph.

MONDAY: Mix of clouds and sun, drying out. Wake up 53. High 70. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NW 10-15 mph.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny and pleasant. Wake up 51. High 73. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind S 10-15 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Lukewarm sun, stray T-shower. Wake up 55. High 76. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind SE 8-13 mph.

THURSDAY: Sticky and warm, few T-storms. Wake up 58. High 80. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind S 10-20 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
May 5th

*Length Of Day: 14 hours, 26 minutes, and 24 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 37 seconds

*When do we see 15 Hours of Daylight?: May 20th (15 hours, 1 minute, 45 seconds)
*Earliest Sunrises Of The Year: June 13th-17th (5:25 AM)
*When Is The Sunset At/After 8:30 PM? May 11th (8:30 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
May 5th

1965: At least 7 tornadoes hit southern Minnesota. This outbreak is a preview of what would happen the next day…

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National Weather Forecast

We'll continue to watch an extensive portion of the nation that'll have shower and storm chances for Cinco de Mayo Friday. Some snow may even mix in in portions of the western United States.

A couple of inches of rain could fall through Saturday across portions of the central and western United States. Several inches of snow could accumulate in the western mountain ranges.

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A Stormy, Active Sun May Have Kickstarted Life on Earth

More from NASA: "The first building blocks of life on Earth may have formed thanks to eruptions from our Sun, a new study finds. A series of chemical experiments show how solar particles, colliding with gases in Earth's early atmosphere, can form amino acids and carboxylic acids, the basic building blocks of proteins and organic life. The findings were published in the journal Life. To understand the origins of life, many scientists try to explain how amino acids, the raw materials from which proteins and all cellular life, were formed. The best-known proposal originated in the late 1800s as scientists speculated that life might have begun in a "warm little pond": A soup of chemicals, energized by lightning, heat, and other energy sources, that could mix together in concentrated amounts to form organic molecules."

How the Supreme Court could undermine the climate fight

More from Grist: "The Supreme Court could once again hinder the ability of the executive branch to address climate change when it reconsiders the precedent, set almost 40 years ago, upon which many of its efforts rest. The court announced Monday that it would hear arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. The case, brought by a fishing company based in New Jersey, challenges a federal rule that requires commercial fishing vessels to make room for government watchdogs to monitor for overfishing — a chronic problem within the industry. The federal National Marine Fisheries Service interprets federal law to mean that operators like Loper Bright must pay for these observers. The industry says that's unfair, but a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Commerce Department, which includes the Fisheries Service, last year."

California adopts first-ever rules to decarbonize freight trains

More from Canary Media: "Tens of thousands of locomotives chug along U.S. railroads every year, pulling cars full of grains, metals, chemicals and lumber. Thousands more ​"switcher" trains shuffle cars in and around rail yards. Today, nearly all of those powerful engines run on diesel. In California, however, that could soon start to change. Last week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted first-in-the-nation rules that aim to dramatically slash air pollution and planet-warming emissions from the state's rail sector. Along with imposing short-term measures, the policy states that any locomotive built in 2035 or after will have to use ​"zero-emissions configurations" while operating in California, even if coming from another state."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser