Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Twin Cities, MN
Issued by NWS Twin Cities, MN
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367 FXUS63 KMPX 131847 AFDMPX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 147 PM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Additional chances for rain Friday through Saturday followed by daily low-end precip chances early next week. - Temperatures to cool to near normal levels today through the latter half of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 146 PM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026 Cloud cover has been slow to erode thanks to an MCS over Iowa this morning that is now over WI and IL and continuing eastward. Subsidence behind this feature has allowed for cloud cover in the northern half of the state to erode allowing for partly cloudy skies. This area of subsidence is expected to continue southward across MN and WI but timing could limit the amount of observed sunshine across southern MN the rest of today. Thus surface high temperatures will be a warmer mainly northeast of I-94 near 80 degrees while southern MN will remain in the lower 70s. Two bands of rain showers continue to linger on radar this afternoon but as the aforementioned mid-level dry air moves in, this should weaken any precip activity later this afternoon. Then we go into a short hiatus from precip tonight leaving forecast lows in the lower 60s for most. Friday into the weekend...a shortwave wave on the western region of an upper-level ridge creates a weak surface low in the northern Rocky Mountain Piedmont`s early Friday morning. This low will track NE into the northern plains Friday afternoon. A surface warm front stalls mainly over during the daytime hours which should keep southern MN under a better potential for seeing any rain and storms at least for the first half of the day. However, we will also need to keep an eye on the progression of another wave embedded in zonal flow aloft that will be moving across the Dakotas later on Friday into Saturday. This will aid in the expansion of some precip chances northwestward but timing differences make precip chances less certain thus highest confidence for precip remains south of I-94. QPF continues to trend down. As of now, the area that looks to favor closer to an inch is south of a line which extends from Red Wing, MN down to St. James, MN. Areas north of this line into central MN and western WI, could see near tenth to quarter of an inch of rain by Saturday night. As mentioned in the previous discussion, the rain is always welcomed but will do little to improve current drought conditions. As for temperatures, dew points will become a bit sticker on Friday into Saturday as they creep into the upper 60s and perhaps lower 70s before retreating back into near 60 on Sunday. Forecast highs through this period will range in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Between Saturday night into early next week upper-level ridging which has been building in the southeastern U.S. will take hold over much of the country keeping Sunday and Monday`s skies mostly clear. By Monday night the forecast pattern will remain under zonal flow and begin featuring near daily lower-end precip chances. As of now, the better signal for a more persistent rain doesnt look to arrive until late Tuesday night into Wednesday. Temperatures for the remainder of the period remain near-normal. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1154 AM CDT Thu Aug 13 2026 A band of scattered light rain showers will continue for the next 2-3 hours across central Minnesota & western Wisconsin. Brief bouts of MVFR visibility are possible with the heaviest showers. Broken to overcast mid- level stick around through the day & dissipate this evening. Winds will generally be easterly around 5 kts today & tonight. Winds become slightly more southeasterly tomorrow morning with speeds increasing & gusts up to 20 kts expected by late morning. KMSP...Any rain showers are expected to remain very light with minimal visibility reduction. Brief bouts of MVFR visibility are possible with the heaviest rain showers. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ SAT...VFR, chc -SHRA and MVFR/IFR. Wind SE 10 kts shifting to W. SUN...VFR. Wind NW 5-10 kts. MON...VFR. Wind WSW 5-10 kts.&& .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...None. WI...None. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...None. WI...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Dunleavy AVIATION...ETA