textproduct: Twin Cities

KEY MESSAGES

- Slightly below normal temperatures this week with highs in the lower to mid 60s, warming early next week to slightly above normal in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

- Chances for rain exist Wednesday night into Thursday, Friday night into Saturday, and Monday night into Tuesday. None of these look to provide much of a threat for severe weather or excessive rainfall.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 232 AM CDT Wed Sep 23 2026

RAP h5 analysis this morning shows a closed high centered near Lake Superior, with its associated surface high pressure centered over Quebec. This surface high will remain parked over the Great Lakes/eastern Canada through early next week. This surface pattern will result in southeast winds continuing until a front passes Monday night or Tuesday next week. This will also setup a west to east gradient in moisture, with dewpoints and precipitation chances highest in western MN and lowest in western WI until that more defined fropa early next week.

For today, those dry southeast winds will rule the day, with the deeper moisture plume and associated precipitation remaining in the Dakotas. That moisture plume will lay into western MN overnight. Biggest change we've seen in the models over the last 24 hours is a slowing of the arrival of this deeper moisture and precipitation chances until after midnight tonight, even in western MN. Eventually, we expect widespread showers to develop within the LLJ late tonight, with an embedded storm or two likely. This area of rain will then fall apart during the day on Thursday as it runs into the dry air associated with the high over the Great Lakes. Friday will give a cloudy break from the rain, before we kind of have a repeat of tonight into Thursday Friday night into Saturday. Once again, we'll see a batch of showers with an embedded storm or two develop within an enhanced LLJ. Saturday won't be a washout, but the cloud cover and showers will keep temperatures more in the low 60s. Like tonight, high pressure in the Great Lakes results in lower precip chances as you get into WI. For Sunday, it's back to our cool, cloudy, and dry weather as the enhanced h85 flow that drives the Saturday rain falls apart.

Early next week, we are starting to see models come around on Monday night/Tuesday for a boundary passage. The strength of that system varies quite a bit, but the general idea of another uptick in precipitation chances Monday night into Tuesday exists. It does look to get a bit warmer/more humid ahead of this boundary on Monday, so there could be small chance of a stronger storm or two, but for the most part, this just looks to continue the train of quarter to half inch rain events spaced a couple of days apart. The one big difference though between this rain chance and what we see Thursday and Saturday as that we'll actually see a wind shift over to the northwest behind this rain chance as the blocking high over eastern Canada starts to break down.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1228 PM CDT Wed Sep 23 2026

SE winds today with mostly VFR ceilings. Some diurnal cumulus have developed and will remain with us through the afternoon. The height of this cumulus will be high MVFR/low VFR. Generally should not get more than SCT, but some brief periods of high MVFR are possible if it gets to BKN coverage. Rain will advance from west to east tonight into tomorrow. Rain is most likely across western terminals and becomes less likely farther east as it runs into more dry air. Western terminals like AXN and RWF will see MVFR and eventually IFR as this rain moves through. MVFR likely for STC and MKT with a chance for IFR (more likely at STC). MSP and Wisconsin terminals are the more uncertain locations as this is where the showers could be drying up.

KMSP... Winds around 10 knots from the SE over this period. Rain chances remain best to west of the terminal, but rain chances will be possible in the morning and afternoon tomorrow. Mainly lower VFR ceilings, but there is a chance of some MVFR if some of the heavier showers make it this far east.

/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ FRI...VFR. Wind SE 5-10 kts. SAT...Chc MVFR. -SHRA likely. Wind SE 10-20 kts. SUN...VFR. Wind S 5-10 kts.

MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MN...None. WI...None.