Many of us are waking up a little skittish thinking about the deadly, devastating tornado that hit Gaylord Friday afternoon and wondering if that’s what we’re going to experience today. Let me immediately settle your fears and tell you that today’s severe threat is lower and much less impactful than what happened up north yesterday.
A slow-moving cold front will sag southward across the area today, bringing periodic showers and thunderstorms. This afternoon’s severe threat is greatest south of that front, in the warmer air where it’s more unstable, and I think the area of greatest risk is south of I-94 - especially closer to the state line. The greatest severe threat from any storm that develops this afternoon is 60 mph wind gusts. Some hail is possible, and the tornado threat is very low (in contrast to the atmospheric environment up north yesterday).
Keep a very close eye on the storms’ progress today on the Local4Casters weather app’s real-time radar. If you have notifications turned on, the app will alert you to any warnings that are issued. Just search “WDIV” in the app store.
- Severe thunderstorm warnings from this morning have been cancelled.
Highs today will range from the upper 70s (26 degrees Celsius) south to the low 70s (22 degrees Celsius) north, with southwest winds south of the front veering to the northwest behind the front at 5 to 10 mph.
This evening’s sunset is at 8:54 p.m.
Periodic showers and (non-severe) thunderstorms continue Saturday night, with lows ranging from the mid-50s (12 degrees Celsius) south to upper-40s (9 degrees Celsius) north. North wind at 5 to 10 mph.
What to expect for Sunday
Showers may linger into the first part of Sunday morning, but cooler, drier air working in should push those out, and I think we’ll be dry for the remainder of the day, with at least partial sunshine developing by afternoon. Highs in the low-to-mid-60s (17 to 18 degrees Celsius) with a west wind at 8 to 13 mph. Again, keep an eye on the app’s real-time radar to time your outdoor fun for after the rain ends.
Taking a look at the Week Ahead
We’ll be dry Monday and Tuesday before the pattern becomes unsettled once again, with showers and thunderstorms likely on Wednesday, showers likely on Thursday, and a chance of showers on Friday. However, we start another warm-up heading into Memorial Day weekend with a weather pattern that TENTATIVELY suggests dry weather for the majority of the weekend, with temperatures warming into the low-80s (28 degrees Celsius) by Monday!