Warming until the first weekend of June with some possible showers and thunderstorms

A cold front is over far eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin tonight, with a band of showers and thunderstorms moving southwest to northeast along the border. These will primarily affect locations north and west of Eau Claire, with some heavier rain possible during the overnight hours. There is some uncertainty as to how far southeast this band will advance, but parts of the Chippewa Valley will likely get some rain, with a few showers possible in our southern counties late tonight. Mostly cloudy skies are expected with mild lows in the 60s as the light southerly flow continues. Rainfall amounts by daybreak will range from a few hundredths to perhaps a narrow 1-2 inches in our northwestern counties. The cold front will move out Saturday morning as our upper-level flow becomes zonal (west to east), with a disturbance arriving quickly from the northern Plains during the day. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible throughout the morning and later in the afternoon as instability increases. There will be a mix of cloud and sunshine, with highs of around 24 degrees Celsius.

On Sunday, the weather will be nice for outdoor activities overall, as it will remain mostly dry and there will be a mix of sun and clouds. A warm front will move into the region with fresh southerly and southeasterly winds, while temperatures will rise to around 27 degrees and it will get a bit humid. In the evening hours, a cold front will move in from the west, bringing showers and thunderstorms through Monday morning. Although a few stronger storms are not out of the question, the greatest risk for severe weather is currently over parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas. The boundary will disappear on Monday, as temperatures will climb back up to just above 27 degrees and dew points will be around 15 degrees. On Tuesday, the next warm front will already be moving north through Wisconsin, opening the door for an even warmer and wetter air mass as a fresh southerly flow brings in plenty of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Highs will range from just above 27 degrees and dew points well above 15 degrees, and could even reach the tropical 21 degrees in some of our southern areas. Partly sunny skies with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, but chances increase towards the evening as a cold front moves in. All the conditions seem to be in place to favour a possible severe threat in the region. This is something we will be monitoring closely throughout the weekend. Temperatures will then cool to 21 degrees Celsius late next week, with some uncertainty as to how upper-level winds may develop.

All rights reserved.