Summerlike warmth Wednesday and Thursday, colder air this weekend

Temperatures will warm up a bit more Wednesday and especially Thursday with highs in the 80s across southern Minnesota. More typical October chilly air arrives this weekend. 

Roller coaster of temperatures continues 

We have another sunny day with a warm afternoon shaping up after a seasonably cool start. Highs will be in the 70s across southern Minnesota with 60s north. Winds will be light as we remain under the influence of a departing area of high pressure.

Thursday might just be our last day in the 80s for most. Afternoon high temperatures will soar into the low to mid-80s with some upper 80s possible in southwest Minnesota under partly cloudy skies. 

At this point in the season, once you’re in the 80s and you don’t see any more in the next seven to 10 days, it can be fairly safe to assume it might just well be the last. The average last date of a high temperatures in the 80s for the Twin Cities is Oct. 1. 

A cool front will increase cloud cover and start to drop temperatures in northern Minnesota Friday. We’ll still pull off highs in the 70s for southern Minnesota. 

We’ll finally see some downright chilly air by the second half of this weekend. Saturday’s highs will still be in the 60s and 50s, but by Sunday and Monday we could see highs in the 50s for southern Minnesota and perhaps only the upper 40s north.

That will set us up for potentially the first widespread frost in southern Minnesota Sunday and Monday nights. 

The northern half of Minnesota may see some light rain showers late Saturday into Sunday as a somewhat potent clipper system moves through the region.

Some lucky areas in northern Minnesota could see up to one-half inch of rainfall. Even the Twin Cities area looks to perhaps get our first measurable rainfall, however light, in three weeks.