Sunny and pleasant Sunday and Monday; Shower facilities on Wednesday

Nice October weather is here.

We started with Sunday morning lows in the 30s in much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, but the afternoon highs will slide back to the 60s in most areas, with some lower 70s in southwest Minnesota. Sunshine and deep blue skies are expected.

We are heading for Sunday highs in the upper 60s in the metropolitan area. Our average Twin Cities high this time of year is 58 degrees.

Temperature trends

Many areas will have Monday highs in the 1970s:

Northeast Minnesota will see highs in the 1960s.

By Monday afternoon the breeze is picking up a bit, with gusts over 15 miles per hour in east Minnesota and over 20 miles per hour in the west:

The forecast wind gusts are in knots, with 14 knots equating to approximately 16 mph.

Back to the forecast highs, the highs in the metropolitan areas of Twin Cities are expected to hit the lower 70s on Tuesday, followed by the mid 60s on Wednesday. It’s even cooler to end the week with highs in the lower 50s on Thursday and Friday.

Temperatures could be almost normal next Saturday, although the temperatures on Sunday tend to be slightly higher. The following week can be warmer than normal. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a trend towards above-average temperatures in Minnesota and western Wisconsin from October 24-30:

Next chance of rain?

A gravure system will give us the chance to see showers Wednesday and Wednesday nights in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

NOAA’s Global Forecast System (GFS) model shows the potential rain pattern on Wednesday and Wednesday night:

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and you can see updated weather information on the MPR News Live weather blog.

Fall colors

The newest Fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shows colors after the peak in the dark red shaded areas of northern and central Minnesota:

In the areas shaded mid-red, including parts of Metro West, the percent changeover to fall colors is between 75 and 100%.

Remember, all deciduous trees are included in the fall color report, not just maples.

See Wisconsin fall color information here.

Weather nugget

A year ago today, our Twin Cities high was 53 degrees. Then it got significantly colder, with highs in the 30s over the next seven days. By the middle of this stretch, on October 20th, we had 7.9 inches of snow in the Twin Cities!

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates every Saturday and Sunday at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. on MPR News.