The probability of rain continues until Saturday night; mild temps stay with us

A slow moving low pressure system will bring some rainy areas to Minnesota and western Wisconsin this Saturday and Saturday evening. An isolated thunderstorm is also possible.

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.

Sunday shower chance?

Most of the shower activity shifts east on Sunday. There could be a brief rain shower in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Sunday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh (HRRR) forecasting model shows the potential rain pattern from 7 a.m. on Sunday to 7 p.m. on Sunday:

Above average temperatures

Our average maximum temperature in Twin Cities is 66 degrees on October 2nd. Many places in the metropolitan area will crawl over 70 degrees on this Saturday afternoon. Highs in the 1970s are also expected in the extreme northwest of Minnesota, as well as southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin today. Saturday dew points will be in the sticky 60s in east Minnesota and west Wisconsin.

The Sunday highs will be in the 70s in the south, with 60s in the north:

Sunday dew points will be in the comfortable 50s in most areas:

Back to peak temperatures, metropolitan Twin Cities highs are expected to hit the lower 70s Monday through Wednesday, followed by the mid 70s on Thursday and Friday.

Above-average temperatures can persist until the next weekend and the following week. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a trend towards above-average temperatures in Minnesota and Wisconsin from October 9th to 15th:

Fall color To update

The percent change to fall color is currently highest in northern Minnesota. Here’s the latest Fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

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

Elsewhere there are some areas with very good fall color, including the Twin Cities. I saw a lot of fall color along the Mississippi yesterday; here the view (from St. Paul) over the river on Friday:

In some places along the Twin Cities Marathon route there will be beautiful autumn colors on Sunday!

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.