First 90 today; rare tropical rain connection Thursday
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The weather maps look interesting across Minnesota this week.
And yes, when meteorologists say "interesting," it should get your attention.
Temperatures soar across central and southern Minnesota this afternoon. Showers and storms bubble up in the super-heated air mass by this evening. Thursday's rainfall could be heavy, and bears an unusual tropical connection.
Mini heat wave today
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The season's first 90 degree temperatures look very likely. In fact, temps may not stop at 90 across southern Minnesota today. Using the "mix down" technique by bringing air from 5,000 feet down to ground level late this afternoon yields temps of 90 to as hot as 95 degrees in the southern half of Minnesota.
Storms slide south
Showers and thunderstorms across northern Minnesota and the Red River Valley slide south today. By tonight, strong to potentially severe storms develop as a cold front pushes south toward the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center paints much of Minnesota under a slight risk for severe storms today and tonight.
The primary threats from storms this evening are high winds and hail. Keep your NOAA weather radio tuned up this evening.
More smoke today?
You may notice a whitish tint to the sky across Minnesota again today. Smoke from Canadian forest fires is drifting high overhead.
Tropical rainfall connection Thursday
We catch a break tomorrow with a very pleasant day across Minnesota. By Thursday, the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Blanca ride north on the jet stream into southern Minnesota.
Blanca is the earliest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall along Mexico's Baja Peninsula.
Moisture from Blanca is dumping rainfall across Arizona today. That's almost unheard of for early June.
Blanca's remnants are about to get caught up in the southwest flow across the United States. The moisture plume from Blanca will flow over southern Minnesota and be sucked into a developing low pressure center by Thursday.
The result will be a significantly heavy rain shield across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.
It could produce some heavy, even flooding rainfall totals Thursday. This type of tropical cyclone moisture plume connection is rare in Minnesota, but it does happen.
Keep an eye out for potentially heavy rainfall Thursday from the metro south.
