Comfortable Tuesday, rain returns Wednesday, dry by weeks end

Happy Monday everyone! The sunshine sure has been a treat after a weekend of gloomy skies and off and on rain. There is more sunshine in the forecast this week, but there is a decent rain chance taking shape Wednesday for all of the Weather First area.

High pressure builds into the area tonight, bringing clear skies and calmer winds with it. These conditions will set the stage for one of the coldest nights we have seen in a while, with lows in the upper 20F’s across all of southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa. While these temperatures are right at average for this time of year, it doesn’t take away from the fact it’s going to be a cold one!

You’ll need the jacket Tuesday morning, but by the afternoon temperatures warm into the mid to upper 40F’s with plenty of sunshine. It will be breezy again, however, with winds out of the southeast gusting up to 25 mph at times. Still, not a bad day all around!

Rain chances return on Wednesday as a cold front approaches from the west. All of the Weather First area has a likelihood of seeing rain Wednesday by the afternoon hours, so you’ll want to take the umbrella with you for any afternoon activities. Rainfall totals look to remain on the lower end, with the higher totals expected south of I-90 and west of I-35 at this time.

Thursday is a bit of a toss-up temperature wise, and will depend largely how how much sun we see. The forecast is trending toward skies remaining cloud filled through the day, which will help to keep high temperatures down into the mid 40F’s for most of the area. If we see more sun, however, highs could reach 50F for most locations.

Sunshine returns Friday, with high temperatures reaching into the mid 50F’s for most! The more mild weather looks to continue into this weekend, with skies remaining mostly sunny to partly cloudy. Still not a bad forecast for the middle of November!