Gorgeous Holiday Weekend, But We Need Some Rain

A brilliant, sunny Saturday is expected as we start the extended holiday weekend here in the Twin Cities. Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-50s, climbing to around 80F for a high. Winds will be slightly breezy, out of the south to southeast at 5-15 mph with occasional gusts to 20 mph.

No real weather concerns statewide on Saturday, as temperatures climb into the 70s and 80s for most locations under lots of sunshine. The coolest conditions will be along the North Shore, where lake influence will keep temperatures in the 60s.

We will also be watching breezy conditions on Saturday across the state - out of the south to southeast direction. The strongest winds will be in northwestern Minnesota, where wind gusts will approach 35-40 mph near the Red River Valley. Wind gusts to around 20 mph can be expected in the metro.

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As we break down the rest of the extended Memorial Day holiday weekend:

Taking a look at Memorial Day Monday, nice but breezy weather is anticipated throughout the day with lots of sunshine. Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-60s, climbing to the mid-80s shown above for highs. Winds will be out of the south to southeast at 10-15 mph.

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Potential Rain Through The End Of May

The good news is that it looks like we should see some rain as we head into next Tuesday and Wednesday across the state. However, it doesn't look like the longer soaking that we need - more than likely afternoon storm activity that'll be hit and miss. Some areas that see multiple rounds of storms to our north could see over a half an inch. Meanwhile, depending on where that rain sets up, under a quarter inch is certainly possible in the Twin Cities. Including this year's May total already in the rankings, the 30th driest May on record is currently 1.91" - so we are potentially looking at a top 20-30 driest May if MSP doesn't end up with a downpour to end the month.

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Along with some rain chances Tuesday through the end of next week, we could also see the first 90F of the year in the metro. The best chance of this occurring is likely in the Tuesday through Thursday timeframe. Across the entire Twin Cities record (back to 1873), the average first 90F has occurred on June 9th. Over the past 30 years (1993-2022), it has occurred on May 29th.

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I just got back from a pre-holiday trip to the North Shore - one way to avoid holiday travelers! My partner and I hiked Ely's Point, paddleboarded Lake Superior on the only calm lake day, watched waves, and hunted for agates - a nice break from the rat race of everyday life.

As the gentleman at the bookstore in Two Harbors told me: we could use some rain. Despite the abundance of snow last winter, most of central and northern Minnesota is 1-2"+ below average rainfall-wise for May. With no rain forecasted until Tuesday, it'll be at least 11 straight days without rain at MSP and it could go down as a top 20-30 driest May. Due to the recent and forecasted drier-than-average weather into early June, there are concerns that drought could quickly develop across the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, over the next few weeks.

A gorgeous Memorial Day weekend is on tap, with highs in the low to mid-80s and plenty of sunshine for the unofficial start of summer. Speaking of summer, our first 90F of the year could be possible next week.

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D.J.'s Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: Some faded sun across eastern MN. Wake up 56. High 81. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: No holiday weather complaints! Wake up 60. High 85. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 10-15 mph.

TUESDAY: A few afternoon rumbles. Wake up 65. High 88. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind S 10-15 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Some scattered storms. Warm & sticky. Wake up 67. High 89. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind S 10-15 mph.

THURSDAY: More isolated storms for June 1^st. Wake up 67. High 88. Chance of precipitation 30%. Wind S 5-15 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
May 27th

*Length Of Day: 15 hours, 14 minutes, and 53 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 1 minute and 43 seconds

*Most Sunlight In A Day: June 21st (15 hours, 36 minutes, 51 seconds)
*Earliest Sunrises Of The Year: June 13th-17th (5:25 AM)
*Earliest Sunsets Of The Year: June 21st-July 2nd (9:03 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
May 27th

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As we head into Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend, the main story will be an area of low pressure near the Southeast Atlantic Coast. While this area of low pressure has a low chance of becoming a tropical system, it will bring heavy rain to the Mid-Atlantic, especially in some coastal areas. Otherwise, scattered showers and storms will be possible from the Northwest to the Plains, and in the Plains a few storms could be strong. Meanwhile, we'll start the morning off with record-warm lows in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast.

Through Sunday, the heaviest rain will fall in portions of the Mid-Atlantic (particularly North and South Carolina), where at least 3-6" of rain could fall. Some scattered reports of flooding will be possible. Portions of the Plains could also see 1-3" of rain through the first two days of the extended holiday weekend.

As we head into Sunday and Memorial Day Monday, most of the same areas (Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, and Plains) that see rain chances Saturday will continue to see at least scattered shower and storm chances.

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More from Smart Cities Dive: "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Wednesday that will provide more than $200 million in incentives and other funding to expand transportation electrification in the state. The funding supports consumer rebates for the purchase of electric vehicles, EV infrastructure at auto dealerships and electric school buses and their related charging equipment. The new law also provides $13.6 million in additional matching funds to help establish a statewide EV charging infrastructure through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. "Taken together, these investments put Minnesota on the map as a serious investor in our electric transportation future," said Brendan Jordan, vice president for Transportation and Fuels at the Great Plains Institute, in a press release."

The US doesn't have a law mandating EV battery recycling. Should it?

More from Grist: "The race to electrify the world's vehicles and store energy will require batteries — so many of them, in fact, that meeting the demand we will see by 2040 will require 30 times the amount of critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel that those industries currently use. That presents an enormous challenge, one exacerbated by the mining industry's alarming allegations of labor crimes, environmental destruction, and encroachments on Indigenous land. There are ways to mitigate electrification's extractive impacts, one of which may seem obvious: Recycle every battery we make. Doing so would reduce the world's need to mine these minerals by 10 percent within 16 years, because the critical materials in batteries are infinitely reusable. Eventually, a robust circular battery economy could all but eliminate the need to extract them at all."

Supreme Court rolls back federal safeguards for wetlands under Clean Water Act

More from CNN: "The Supreme Court on Thursday cut back on the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate wetlands under the Clean Water Act, with a 5-4 majority continuing a trend in which the conservative-leaning court has narrowed the reach of environmental regulations. The Clean Water Act extends only to those "wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are waters of the United States in their own rights," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority. The decision is a victory for Chantell and Michael Sackett, who purchased a vacant lot near Idaho's Priest Lake. Three years later they broke ground, hoping to build a family home, but soon got entangled in a regulatory dispute. As they began backfilling the property with 1,700 cubic yards of sand and gravel to create a stable grade, the EPA sent them an order halting construction."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser