Sunny and pleasant Sunday and Monday; Wednesday shower chances
Fall color update for leaf-peepers
Beautiful October weather is here.
We started out with Sunday morning lows in the 30s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, but afternoon highs will rebound to the 60s in most areas, with some lower 70s in southwestern Minnesota. Sunshine and deep-blue skies are expected.
We’re headed toward Sunday highs in the upper 60s in the metro area. Our average Twin Cities high is 58 degrees this time of year.
Temperature trends
Many areas will have Monday highs in the 70s:
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Northeastern Minnesota will see highs in the 60s.
Breezes pick up a bit by Monday afternoon, with gusts over 15 mph in eastern Minnesota and over 20 mph in the west:
Forecast wind gusts are in knots, with 14 knots equal to around 16 mph.
Back to forecast highs, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 70s Tuesday, followed by mid 60s Wednesday. It’ be even cooler to end the week, with highs in the lower 50s Thursday and Friday.
Next Saturday could feature near-normal temps, with temps edging upward a bit on Sunday. The following week may be warmer than normal. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temps in Minnesota and western Wisconsin from Oct. 24 through Oct. 30:
Next rain chance?
A low pressure system will give us a chance of showers in Minnesota and western Wisconsin Wednesday and Wednesday night.
NOAA’s Global Forecast System (GFS) model shows the potential rain pattern 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 info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Fall colors
The latest fall color report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shows colors past peak in the dark-red shaded areas of northern and central Minnesota:
The percentage of changeover to fall colors is between 75% and 100% in the medium-red shaded areas, including parts of the west metro.
Keep in mind that all deciduous trees are included in the fall color report, not just maples.
Wisconsin fall color info can be found here.
Weather nugget
One year ago today, our Twin Cities high was 53 degrees. Then it turned sharply colder, with highs in the 30s the next seven days. Toward the middle of that stretch, on Oct. 20, we had 7.9 inches of snow in the Twin Cities!
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.