Cooler, windy Thursday; pleasant weekend ahead

We’re catching a break from an active, stormy weather pattern. Even though some shower activity popped up Wednesday afternoon, it hasn’t been strong for us. There may be a few sprinkles again Thursday afternoon as an upper level storm system still affects the region, although nothing dramatic is ahead for the rest of the week.

Winds will remain strong through Thursday with wind gusts up to 35-40 mph at times. Otherwise, look for sunshine early Thursday with clouds increasing late in the morning through afternoon. Temperatures will remain cooler than the norm for early June with Thursday’s highs remaining in the upper 60s for southeast Minnesota and lower 70s for northern Iowa.

The weekend will remain mild. A few, brief showers are possible Friday night into Saturday morning and there may be some lingering, light rain around and shortly after sunrise Saturday. Otherwise, clouds will decrease into Saturday afternoon and highs will return to the mid-70s. Sunday will be a touch cooler with highs around 70 and a partly sunny sky.

A warmup will get underway next week and highs will return to the upper 70s and 80s by Wednesday and remain warm into the following weekend.