Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Cooler, windy Tuesday with pop-up showers and thunder

Sunny skies return Wednesday, but the end of the week looks stormy

satellite radar
Satellite and radar imagery from 8 a.m. Tuesday morning
College of DuPage weather lab

Updated 9 a.m.

We’ll have a mix of clouds and sun Tuesday which will help generate some showers and even thunderstorms in the afternoon. It will also be cooler and windy.

Windy, cooler Tuesday; a few showers, thunderstorms

It will be cooler and continue to be windy behind a cold front Tuesday. Winds will blow at 15-30 mph from the northwest.

winds TUE
Forecast winds 6 a.m. through 10 p.m. Tuesday
College of DuPage weather lab

The cooler air aloft combined with a peek of strong late April sunshine and some lingering moisture will generate spotty afternoon showers and even a few thunderstorms.

TUE precip 8a
Forecast precipitation 8 a.m. through 10 p.m. Tuesday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather

There will be just enough energy, which we measure by something called CAPE — convective available potential energy — to generate those thunderstorms in the east. Some small hail is even possible, especially in western Wisconsin.

CAPE Tue
Convective available potential energy forecast for Tuesday afternoon. CAPE is a measure of instability
College of DuPage weather lab

High temperatures will range from just near 60 degrees in southern Minnesota, which is normal for the date, to the 40s in northern Minnesota.

tue hi 8a
Forecast highs Tuesday
National Weather Service

The clouds will break up quickly after dark, leading to a frosty night across the state. Overnight lows will drop into the 20s in northern and western Minnesota to the low to mid-30s in the Twin Cities. 

TUE NT lo 8a
Forecast lows Tuesday night
National Weather Service

Abundant sunshine returns Wednesday, although it will still be slightly on the cooler side with highs in the 50s to near 60. 

wed hi 8a
Forecast highs Wednesday
National Weather Service

Thursday will be warmer ahead of a stormy pattern that is setting up.

thu hi 8a
Forecast highs Thursday
National Weather Service

Thursday night into Saturday will bring waves of showers and thunderstorms. There will be a bit of a 12 to 24 hour break before another system swings in from the southwest, bringing yet more showers and thunderstorms Sunday into Monday.

thu-mon prec
Forecast precipitation 1 p.m. Thursday through 1 p.m. Monday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

Rainfall through Saturday will be significant with a widespread, up to an inch, possible.

NBM prec
Forecast total potential precipitation Thursday night through Saturday evening from a blend of models
WeatherBELL Analytics

The Sunday-Monday system will bring yet another potentially significant amount of rainfall.