Slow Warming Trend With Puddle Potential

Today should tickle your weather taste buds with sunshine and 60s. A few spotty showers pop tonight and Sunday, although most of the time will be dry. An instability T-storm may bubble up late Monday but highs reach the 70s Memorial Day. Models predict a warming trend next week with 80s by late week; maybe 90F by next weekend. Check the blog for more details. -Todd Nelson

May 29, 2021 at 2:30AM
Spring Freeze Injury to Corn (Jeff Coulter / U of MN/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Spring freeze injury to corn in the northern half of Minnesota: What to expect

"Air temperatures dropped below freezing during the early morning hours on May 28 in portions of the northern half of Minnesota, resulting in freeze injury to corn in some fields. Most of the damaged corn was at the two to three leaf collar (V2 to V3) stages. Symptoms of freeze injury to corn initially appear as discolored water-soaked leaves, which later dry and turn brown. The growing point on young corn plants at the V2 to V3 stages is about 0.75 inches below the soil surface, and it will remain below the soil until the five leaf collar (V5) stage. Therefore, freezing air temperatures prior to the V5 stage typically do not kill corn unless prolonged cold temperatures freeze the upper part of the soil where the growing point is located."

Temperatures at 4AM on Friday, May 28th, 2021 (NWS Twin Cities/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Memorial Day Weekend Outlook

The weather for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend doesn't look too bad. Note that temps will be running a bit cooler than average on Saturday and Sunday, but we get back into the 70s on Monday. The best chance for showers in the metro arrives late Saturday evening into early Sunday. There could be a few showers/storms that develop Sunday afternoon with an isolated threat again PM Monday. The good news is that there will be more dry periods than wet periods over the long holiday weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend Outlook for Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Simulated Radar From 7AM Saturday to 1AM Monday

Here's the simulated radar from 7AM Saturday to 1AM Monday. Saturday will start on a dry and mostly sunny note with spotty showers/storms developing later in the day. The best chance of rain appears to be overnight Saturday into Sunday morning with another round of showers/storms developing PM Sunday.

Simulated Radar From 7AM Saturday to 1AM Monday (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Rainfall Potential Through AM Monday

The rainfall potential through AM Monday shows up to a couple of tenths of an inch across parts of central and western Minnesota with isolated heavier amounts possible in any thunderstorms that develop across the region. The good news is that it won't be a washout this weekend, but there could be a few cool and showery periods mixed in at times over the next few days.

Precipitation Outlook Through 7PM Monday (WeatherBell/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Saturday Weather Outlook

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Saturday shows mostly dry and quiet weather in place through much of the day. Temps will be running about -5F to -10F below average, with chilly temps in the morning. Rain chances should hold off until late Saturday and Saturday night.

Saturday Weather Outlook for Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minneapolis Meteograms

The meteograms for Minneapolis on Saturday shows temps warming from the lower 40s early in the morning to the mid/upper 60s by mid/late afternoon. It'll be mostly sunny to start with more clouds building in later in the day. South to Southeasterly winds could gust up 15mph to 20mph at times during the afternoon.

Hourly Temps & Sky Condition for Minneapolis on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Hourly Wind Gusts & Direction for Minneapolis on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Regional Weather Outlook for Saturday

The weather outlook across the region on Saturday show temps warming into the 60s across the state, which will be nearly -5F to -10F below average. There is a chance for a few showers across the eastern Dakotas and western MN later in the day, which may hold temps back just a bit.

Saturday Weather Outlook (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Highs From Average on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Regional Weather Outlook on Sunday

High temps on Sunday will be a touch warmer across the region with the exception of western Wisconsin, where more clouds and showers will likely be present through the day.

Sunday Weather Outlook (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
High From Average on Sunday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Regional Weather Outlook for Memorial Day Monday

Memorial Day Monday will likely be the warmest day of the long holiday weekend with most locations warming into the low/mid 70s. There could be a few isolated PM T-showers here and there across the region, but it won't be a washout.

Weather Outlook for Memorial Day Monday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Weather Outlook for Minneapolis

The extended weather outlook for Minneapolis shows cooler than average temperatures continuing on Saturday and Sunday with highs only warming into the mid/upper 60s. However, temps gradually warm into the 70s early next week, which will be closer to average. By the end of the week and into next weekend, we could see highs back in the 80s, which will feel very much like summer once again.

5 Day Temperature Outlook for Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
7 Day Weather Outlook for Minneapolis (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Weather Outlook AM Monday to AM Wednesday

The regional weather outlook from AM Saturday to AM Tuesday shows slightly unsettled weather moving into the region at points over the weekend.

Weather Outlook From 7AM Saturday to 7AM Tuesday (Tropical Tidbits/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Precipitation Potential Through 7PM Sunday

The precipitation outlook through 7PM Sunday shows areas of rain moving back into the Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley, but it doesn't look too heavy. There will be a better chance of heavier rains in the Central/Southern Plains with scattered showers/storms expected. There will also be some heavier rains moving from the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast on Saturday.

Precipitation Potential Through 7PM Sunday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

6 to 10 Day Temperature Outlook

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 6 to 10 day temperature outlook shows warmer than average temps across much of the northern tier of the nation with the exception of the Southern Plains.

6 to 10 Day Temperature Outlook (NOAA Climate Prediction Center/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Slow Warming Trend With Puddle Potential
By Paul Douglas

With apologies to drunken sailors, Mother Nature is staggering again. We might consider an intervention. Thursday featured drought-busting rains, over an inch in many areas. Flurries were reported in central Wisconsin early Friday, and where skies cleared temperatures plummeted. Dr. Mark Seeley counted 30 record lows in Minnesota; 19F at Cotton! MSP woke up to 39F, the chilliest late-May morning in 22 years. This, coming after 5 days of 80s earlier in the week. Head-shaking extremes.

Today should tickle your weather taste buds with sunshine and 60s. A few spotty showers pop tonight and Sunday, although most of the time will be dry. An instability T-storm may bubble up late Monday but highs reach the 70s Memorial Day.

Models predict a warming trend next week with 80s by late week; maybe 90F by next weekend. That's right, a taste of beastly-heat, coming a week after freezing record lows.

Only Siberia has greater swings in temperature than Minnesota. After this week's weather, that isn't hard to believe.

Extended Forecast

SATURDAY: Sunny and pleasant. Winds: SE 10-15. High: 65.

SATURDAY NIGHT: More clouds, chance of light rain. Winds: S 5-10. Low: 51.

SUNDAY: More clouds. A few hours of showers. Winds: SW 8-13. High: 63.

MONDAY: More sun. Late-day thunder. Winds: W 10-15. Wake-up: 54. High: 74.

TUESDAY: Some sun, quiet. Winds: SW 5-10. Wake-up: 55. High: 76.

WEDNESDAY: An unstable sky with PM storms. Winds: SW 8-13. Wake-up: 57. High: 77.

THURSDAY: Partly sunny, more humid. Winds: S 5-10. Wake-up: 60. High: 79.

FRIDAY: Hazy sunshine, sticky. Winds: S 10-15. Wake-up: 62. High: 83.

This Day in Weather History

May 29th

1949: An intense downpour dumps over 7 inches of rain at Thief River Falls.

1947: Extremely late season snow falls in southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, and southern Wisconsin. Worthington, MN picks up an inch, while some places in southern Wisconsin receive up to 6 inches.

Average High/Low for Minneapolis

May 29th

Average High: 73F (Record: 94F set in 2006, 2018)

Average Low: 53F (Record: 33F set in 1965)

Record Rainfall: 2.49" set in 1942

Record Snowfall: 0.00"

Twin Cities Weather Almanac for May 29th (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis

May 24th

Sunrise: 5:31am

Sunset: 8:49pm

Hours of Daylight: ~15 hours & 19 minutes

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 1 minutes & 34 seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 6 hours & 55 minute

Moon Phase for May 29th at Midnight

3.0 Days Before Last Quarter Moon

Moon Phase for May 29th at Midnight (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

What's in the Night Sky?

"On the mornings of May 30 to June 2, 2021, watch for the waning moon to sweep by two bright planets – two outer solar system gas giants – golden Saturn and bright Jupiter. Unless you're a night owl, you probably won't see the moon, Saturn and Jupiter rising into your sky before your bedtime. But they'll be glorious at dawn. Look for the threesome – the moon, Saturn and Jupiter – along the path that the sun and moon travel across your sky. They'll be visible just before dawn, and (in the case of Jupiter and the moon), as dawn is beginning to break. It's pretty easy to distinguish Jupiter from Saturn, because Jupiter is much brighter. Although Saturn shines as brilliantly as a 1st-magnitude star – or one of the brightest stars in our sky – Saturn pales next to Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter outshines Saturn by some 16 times. Jupiter ranks as the 4th-brightest celestial body to light up the heavens, after the sun, moon and the planet Venus, respectively. Fortunately, there's no way to mistake Jupiter for Venus, or vice versa, because, in May 2021, Venus is up in the evening sky."

Night Sky for Saturday May 29th (Earth Sky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National High Temps Saturday

The weather outlook on Saturday shows cooler than average temperature in place east of the Rockies. Some of the coolest readings will be found from Chicago to Washington DC and into the Northeast, where temps will be nearly -10F to -20F below average. Folks in the Western and Southwestern US will actually be warming up to well above average levels as we head into the late weekend time frame and into early next week.

National Weather Outlook for Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
National Highs From Average on Saturday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National High Temps for Memorial Day Monday

Memorial Day Monday will be even warmer in the Southwest and also a little warmer in the Eastern US. Cooler conditions will across the Front Range with another round of showers/storms expected to continue.

National Weather Outlook for Memorial Day Monday (Praedictix/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

National Weather Outlook

Here's the national weather outlook through PM Sunday shows an area of steady rains moving through parts of the Eastern US with locally heavy amounts. The other area of unsettled weather will pop up along the Front Range of the Rockies, where some of the storms could be strong to severe both Saturday and Sunday.

Weather Outlook Through 7PM Sunday (NOAA Weather Prediction Center/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Extended Precipitation Outlook

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center there is a chance of heavy rain across the Central and Southern Plains with several inches of rain possible through next week. There will also be heavier rains into the Eastern US with several inches possible near New York and Boston. Meanwhile, the Western US looks to remain mostly dry.

7 Day Precipitation Outlook (NOAA Weather Prediction Center/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Climate Stories

(NOAA/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

"How Many People Die When Polluters Exceed Their Limits?"

"A new report tallies the death toll from excess emissions by looking at air pollution and spikes in local ozone levels. MEASURING AIR QUALITY is inherently a measure of excess—any amount of toxic nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, and fine particulate matter is probably bad for human health. But when it comes to federal regulations, the notion of excess gets a bit wonky. When a refinery or plant outstrips the limits set by the local public health authorities to cap pollution, those fumes are considered "excess emissions," or, more wonkily still, "exceedances."

"A Better Way to Cool Ourselves"

"A new technique doesn't deprive us of fresh air. And because it uses less energy, it's good for the climate as well. Global economic development, in combination with climate change, is expected to result in over a billion new consumers installing air-conditioning systems in their homes and businesses in the coming decades. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that by 2050 energy demand for indoor cooling will be 300 percent higher than present-day levels, making cooling by far the largest use of electricity in the global buildings sector. These estimates were made before the COVID-19 pandemic, however. Our research shows that, if the expanded indoor fresh air requirements that were adopted to combat COVID-19 transmission persist after the pandemic, this predicted increase will occur much sooner."

"California could launch the west coast's first commercial offshore windfarms"

"The state and the Biden administration have agreed to open federal waters off central and northern coasts to new windfarms. California has taken a major step towards launching the first commercial offshore wind energy program on the west coast, a project that would open the state's waters to hundreds of floating turbines and could eventually power 1.6m homes. The state announced an agreement with the US government on Tuesday that would open federal waters off California's central and northern coasts to new windfarms, and put the state and the country in a better position to meet ambitious climate targets. "California, as we all know, has a world-class offshore wind resource, and it can play a major role in helping to accelerate California's and the nation's transition to clean energy," said Gina McCarthy, the White House's national climate adviser."

Thanks for checking in and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @TNelsonWX

@TNelsonWX (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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Todd Nelson

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