Drying Out Sunday With Afternoon Sunshine

We saw record rain across parts of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Friday, with 1.61" falling at MSP. This is where the heaviest rain was focused during the 24-hour period that covers Friday.

Over the two-day period of rainfall, 1.94" fell at the MSP airport. Heavier rainfall amounts fell across the western and southern metro, with several areas reporting over 3" of rainfall - including 3.45" at NWS Chanhassen.

Two-day rain totals of 1-4" fell across central and southern Minnesota as this system moved through the region. Some of the heaviest rain fell from southwestern Minnesota into the west and southern metro.

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Fall colors are at or past peak across northern and western Minnesota according to the latest update from the Minnesota DNR Fall Color Finder, with leaves starting to approach peak elsewhere in the state. I would expect the rest of the state to be at or past peak within the next several days. On Saturday, Fort Snelling State Park reported: "Leaves are starting to turn yellow. You will see grapevine also turning yellow that has climbed many of the trees in the park. Our Silver maples are still green."

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Good news: no rain in the forecast for Sunday! We should see slowly clearing skies as we head throughout the day, with more sunshine in the afternoon vs. the morning. Morning temperatures start off in the mid-40s with highs in the mid-50s.

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Monday: Mainly sunny skies are expected with highs climbing into the mid-50s.

Tuesday: Clouds will start to increase as we head into the afternoon and evening hours ahead of our next rain chance on Wednesday and Thursday. Highs likely climb into the low 60s.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be the warmest days of the next several, with highs reaching the lower 60s here in the metro. I can't rule out a few spots reaching 60F once again late in the week or next weekend - otherwise, highs generally remain in the 50s over the near term.

Three-hour precipitation forecast totals between 1 AM Wednesday and 7 PM Thursday.

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Drying Out Sunday With Afternoon Sunshine
By D.J. Kayser, filling in for Paul Douglas

I'm not sure Mr. Rogers would say the weather the past few days was "a beautiful day in the neighborhood". A record 1.61" fell on Friday the 13th at MSP, bringing our two-day total to 1.94". Some areas reported two-day totals over 3" - especially in the west and south metro. 7.24" has fallen since September 23rd - a total more typical of what falls during August and September combined.

Dry conditions will continue Sunday here in the metro - well, if you don't count Vikings tears if they lose to the Bears later today (as Red Green said, "we're all in this together") - with sunnier skies later this afternoon. Quiet weather begins the week, but a few showers are possible Wednesday into Thursday. I can't rule out an isolated shower later in the MEA weekend, but it currently looks mainly dry once we get past Thursday. Seasonable highs in the 50s and 60s are expected.

Any last-minute, summer-like weather chances are slipping through our fingers. Over the last 30 years, the average last 70F has occurred on October 23.

D.J.'s Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: Afternoon clearing skies. Wake up 44. High 56. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: Quiet fall day. More sun than clouds. Wake up 41. High 57. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Late day increasing clouds. Wake up 40. High 61. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Breezy. Scattered showers. Wake up 49. High 62. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind SE 10-20 mph.

FRIDAY: Calmer, but cloudy skies remain. Wake up 44. High 59. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

SATURDAY: Isolated sprinkle? Mainly cloudy. Wake up 45. High 58. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
October 15th

*Length Of Day: 10 hours, 59 minutes, and 51 seconds
*Daylight LOST Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 2 seconds

This Day in Weather History
October 15th

1968: Unseasonably warm weather moves into central and southern Minnesota. The high was 85 in the Twin Cities.

1899: Heavy rain falls, with 3.2 inches in the St. Cloud area and 2.1 inches in Willmar.

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On Sunday, a system moving into the Pacific Northwest will bring showers and, for parts of the Cascades, some mixed precipitation. A frontal boundary in place in southern Florida will bring storm chances. Otherwise, some scattered showers are possible in the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast and Appalachian Mountains. In the Great Lakes, some of these will be lake-effect showers - but warm enough where it is rain, not snow.

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Biden admin picks 7 ​'clean hydrogen hubs' for $7 billion federal boost

More from Canary Media: "After more than a year of evaluating competing proposals, the Biden administration has picked the parts of the country where it hopes to turn billions of dollars of federal investment into the seeds of a clean hydrogen economy. On Friday, the Department of Energy announced the selection of seven ​"clean hydrogen hubs" — sets of projects that promise to combine big investments in low-carbon hydrogen production with big investments in preparing industries to use that hydrogen to reduce their carbon emissions. The hubs are scattered around the nation — from the Pacific Northwest and California to the Midwest, and from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast. The consortia behind the hubs — groups of state governments, private companies and research organizations — are now eligible to receive up to a cumulative $7 billion in federal funds over the coming years."

Hydrogen hub in Minnesota and North Dakota wins nearly $1 billion in federal money

More from the Star Tribune: "Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota have been chosen to host one of seven U.S. "clean" hydrogen production hubs, scoring up to $925 million in federal money. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy is a primary partner in the Upper Midwest venture — dubbed the Heartland Hydrogen Hub — which would use renewable power and nuclear energy to produce hydrogen in Minnesota. "The Heartland Hydrogen Hub is game-changing initiative that demonstrates how we're accelerating the development of the next generation of clean energy technology," Xcel's CEO Bob Frenzel said in a statement. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Friday announced the winners among 26 hydrogen-hub proposals submitted earlier this year. The regional hubs mark one of the largest federal energy programs ever, with a total investment of $7 billion."

More from The Guardian: "More than 40% of Antarctica's ice shelves have shrunk since 1997 with almost half showing "no sign of recovery", a study has found, linking the change to the climate breakdown. Scientists at the University of Leeds have calculated that 67tn tonnes of ice was lost in the west while 59tn tonnes was added to the east between 1997 and 2021, resulting in a net loss of 7.5tn tonnes. Warm water on the western side of Antarctica has been melting ice, whereas in the east, ice shelves have either stayed the same or grown as the water is colder there. The ice shelves sit at the end of glaciers and slow their rate of flow into the sea. When they shrink, glaciers release larger amounts of freshwater into the sea which can disrupt the currents of the Southern Ocean."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser