Showers and thunderstorms were beginning to move into western Minnesota on Tuesday evening, ending the state’s quiet weather and setting up a wetter stretch that will spread eastward overnight. By Wednesday, the rain is expected to be more widespread, and a few storms could turn strong to severe.
Chris Reece said the calm weather earlier in the day was giving way to a new round of showers and thunderstorms that would move across Minnesota through the evening and overnight hours. That matters now because Wednesday is expected to be the wettest day of the week, the day when plans, travel and outdoor activity are most likely to run into rain.
Reece said many communities should pick up beneficial rainfall overnight, but not every place will get the heavier bands of rain. Low temperatures are expected to settle into the upper 50s, and the difference from one area to the next is part of the story: some neighborhoods may get a useful soaking, while others see only passing showers before the more active weather arrives on Wednesday.
Wednesday is expected to bring mostly cloudy skies and periods of rain and thunderstorms throughout the day, with high temperatures topping out in the upper 60s. The main hazards are gusty winds, heavy downpours and frequent lightning, and those are the ingredients that make the strongest storms the ones to watch. Reece said Wednesday will likely be the wettest day of the week, and that is the day when the chance for a few strong to severe storms is on the table.
The weather should ease on Thursday, when sunshine returns and highs climb into the lower 70s. After that, Friday is expected to bring a mix of sun and clouds with only a small chance of a passing shower, followed by partly cloudy skies near 80° on Saturday, mild and comfortable middle 70s on Sunday, and only a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm early next week before temperatures warm back into the lower 80s by Tuesday. For now, the biggest question is not whether Minnesota gets rain, but where the heavier overnight bands set up and how strong Wednesday’s storms become before the state turns back toward quieter weather.
