A breezy, Septemberish Sunday

Our average Twin Cities high temp is 83 degrees this time of year. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tallied a Saturday high of 82 degrees, which felt very comfortable. Our Sunday high may only reach the lower 70s, which is our average Twin Cities high in mid-September!

Much of Minnesota will see Sunday highs in the 70s:

Parts of northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin will top out in the 60s.

Sunday dew points will be in the comfortable 50s, with some very dry 40s in the far north:

Winds will probably gust over 20 mph at times on Sunday:

Plotted values are in knots, with 21 knots equal to 24 mph.

Temperature trends

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid 70s on Monday and Tuesday, followed by upper 70s Wednesday and Thursday and lower 80s on Friday.

The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures in Minnesota and Wisconsin from August 7 through August 11:

We’ll see if that pans out.

Rain chances

The chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms continues in Minnesota and western Wisconsin Saturday evening, with scattered showers lingering into the overnight hours in a few spots.

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Sunday will be rain-free in most areas, but a stray shower will be possible in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Isaias update

Hurricane Isaias weakened to tropical storm strength Saturday afternoon, but it’s expected to regain hurricane strength Saturday night.

As of 4 p.m. CDT Saturday, Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, and was centered 115 miles southeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The center of Isaias was moving northwestward at 10 mph.

The NWS National Hurricane Center has this projected track for Isaias over the next few days, along with the cone of uncertainty for the track:

Hurricane warnings have been posted for much of the east coast of Florida. Here’s the NHC Saturday afternoon update on Isaias:

BULLETIN Tropical Storm Isaias Advisory Number 19 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL092020 500 PM EDT Sat Aug 01 2020 ...ISAIAS WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM... ...EXPECTED TO RE-STRENGTHEN TO A HURRICANE OVERNIGHT WHILE IT APPROACHES THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF FLORIDA... SUMMARY OF 500 PM EDT...2100 UTC...INFORMATION ---------------------------------------------- LOCATION...25.1N 78.7W ABOUT 115 MI...185 KM SE OF FORT LAUDERDALE FLORIDA ABOUT 95 MI...155 KM S OF FREEPORT GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...70 MPH...110 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...NW OR 310 DEGREES AT 10 MPH...17 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...993 MB...29.33 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: The Tropical Storm Watch has been extended northward from Altamaha Sound Georgia to South Santee River South Carolina. The Hurricane Watch from Hallandale Beach to south of Boca Raton Florida has been discontinued. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Boca Raton to the Volusia/Flagler County Line Florida * Northwestern Bahamas A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for... * Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach Florida A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * North of Ocean Reef to south of Boca Raton Florida * Lake Okeechobee * Volusia/Flagler County Line to Ponte Vedra Beach Florida A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for... * North of Ponte Vedra Beach Florida to South Santee River South Carolina Interests elsewhere along the southeast and mid-Atlantic coasts of the United States should monitor the progress of Isaias. Additional watches or warnings may be required tonight or Sunday. A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life- threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. For storm information specific to your area outside of the United States, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Isaias was located by an Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft near latitude 25.1 North, longitude 78.7 West. Isaias is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h). A general northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected for the next day or so, followed by a north-northwestward motion by late Sunday and a turn toward the north and north- northeast on Monday and Tuesday with an increase in forward speed. On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will approach the southeast coast of Florida tonight and move near or along the east coast of Florida Sunday and Sunday night. On Monday and Tuesday, the center of Isaias will move quickly from offshore of the coast of Georgia into the southern mid-Atlantic states. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Some restrengthening is forecast, and Isaias is expected to regain hurricane strength tonight. Slow weakening is expected to begin Sunday night and continue through Monday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km) from the center. During hew past couple of hours, a Weatherflow observing site at the Dania Pier in Broward County, Florida, reported a wind gust to 59 mph (94 km/h) in an outer rainband. More recently, a wind gust to 41 mph (67 km/h) was reported by a Weatherflow site in Juno Beach, Florida. The estimated minimum central pressure based on reconnaissance aircraft data is 993 mb (29.33 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- Key messages for Isaias can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT4, WMO header WTNT44 KNHC, and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT4.shtml. STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide... Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach FL...2-4 ft North Miami Beach to Jupiter Inlet FL...1-3 ft The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the center, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds in the Northwestern Bahamas. WIND: Hurricane and tropical storm conditions will continue to spread over portions of the Northwestern Bahamas tonight. Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area in Florida on Sunday and will spread northward through Sunday night. Winds are expected to first reach tropical storm strength later tonight, making outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. Tropical storm conditions are expected within the tropical storm warning area in South Florida tonight. Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area in northeast Florida by Sunday night, and are possible in the watch area from northeast Florida to South Carolina on Monday. RAINFALL: Isaias is expected to produce the following rain accumulations: Bahamas: 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 12 inches. Cuba: 1 to 2 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 4 inches. Eastern Florida: 2 to 4 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches. Northeast Florida and coastal Georgia: 1 to 3 inches. Carolinas and the mid Atlantic, including the southern and central Appalachians: 2 to 5 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 7 inches. Southeast New York and much of New England: 2 to 4 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches. Heavy rainfall from Isaias could result in potentially life- threatening flash flooding in the Bahamas and flash and urban flooding along the East Coast of the United States. Minor river flooding and isolated moderate river flooding is possible across portions of the Carolinas and Virginia. SURF: Swells generated by Isaias are affecting portions of Hispaniola, eastern Cuba, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas. These swells will spread along the east coast of Florida and the southeastern United States coast through Sunday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

The National Hurricane Center typically issues updates every few hours.

Programming note

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