Douglas: Some storm chances this weekend, but warmth continues

By DJ Kayser, filling in for Douglas:

As we advance through September, one of my daily checks is the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fall color map showing the progression of the fall colors. As of Friday, there were splotches of 10-25% color across parts of northern and southern Minnesota. Pictures on social media taken from the Superior Hiking Trail highlight a mix of green, red and yellow in the trees. It would be nice if we could get some cooler nights (mid-40s or below) to help the colors along, but they don’t appear likely across the state in the next week.

That means there’s no break to our warmth soon. Metro highs will be in the 80s through next Friday, finally falling back to the 70s next weekend. Moisture left over from Hurricane Francine will bring some chances of scattered showers and storms to the region this weekend, particularly Saturday. More storms are likely for the second half of next week.

Wherever your autumn adventures take you this weekend, be aware of the fire danger. In northern Minnesota, at least two fires have sparked this week, both in the Superior National Forest near Ely.