Saturday showers southern MN, a dry Sunday

We've seen plenty of rain since last Sunday, so it would be great to see some dry days.

Most of Minnesota will have a dry weekend, but a low pressure system tracking through Missouri will spin some showers over southern parts of our state:

The most numerous showers will be over the two tiers of counties that are closest to Iowa, but there could be isolated showers farther north. Even the southern parts of Scott county and Dakota county could see an isolated shower later this Saturday afternoon or this evening.

Lots of 50s

Much of Minnesota will see highs in the 50s today, but far northwestern Minnesota could see 60s:

Some areas along the north shore of Lake Superior might stay in the 40s, due to winds coming in off of the lake.

Mild week ahead

Temps warm a bit more on Monday, and we could see 70 on Tuesday:

Straight line winds

We aren't expecting severe weather in Minnesota today, but our severe weather season has begun.

Here is some information on damaging straight line winds from the National Severe Storms Laboratory:

"Damaging winds are often called “straight-line” winds to differentiate the damage they cause from tornado damage. Strong thunderstorm winds can come from a number of different processes. Most thunderstorm winds that cause damage at the ground are a result of outflow generated by a thunderstorm downdraft. Damaging winds are classified as those exceeding 50-60 mph. "

"Damage from severe thunderstorm winds account for half of all severe reports in the lower 48 states and is more common than damage from tornadoes. Wind speeds can reach up to 100 mph and can produce a damage path extending for hundreds of miles."

Additional information on severe weather can be found on the NSSL site: Severe Weather 101 .

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates at 7:35 a.m. weekend mornings on Minnesota Public Radio.