Numerous isolated storm chances this week, but gradually warming with plenty of dry time

We have seen a good deal of sun today, perhaps more than was previously expected, but who’s complaining? Temperatures have reached into the upper 70F’s and lower 80F’s across the area under the sunshine. Dew points have climbed just a tad since yesterday, reaching into the mid to upper 60F’s across most of the area.

We are seeing plenty of cumulus cloud activity out there this afternoon as well, which should remain mostly nonthreatening as we continue through the rest of the day for our Minnesota folks. The southern portion of the viewing area is seeing some of these cloud clusters grow enough to kick off a few showers and t-storms, however. With that being said, the best chance for storms today will be limited to northern Iowa, with slim isolated chances across southeastern Minnesota.

Heading into tonight, there will be a chance for continuing t-storms during the evening hours, especially south of the Iowa/Minnesota border. Chances decrease as the night progresses, and we lose that daytime instability. Lows will drop into the low 60F’s across much of the area, with even a few upper 50F’s possible across northern Iowa.

This upcoming week will be a rinse and repeat variety, especially earlier on in the week. We will start the mornings dry, with instability and clouds building as we head into the afternoon hours. Isolated shower and t-storm chances will follow each afternoon, with Monday, Wednesday and Friday having the best chance at seeing this afternoon storm development.

The thing to remember with these storm chances is that it does not mean the entire day will be a wash out. There will be plenty of dry time and sunshine, with high temperatures starting in the upper 70F’s to around 80F for the first half of the week, with low to mid 80F’s arriving by the end of the week.

By next weekend, we will begin to see our daily high temperatures really begin to climb into the above average category consistently for the first time in a long time. This will also come with plenty of dry time, although storm chances return the end of the week going into the weekend, especially for the northern part of the viewing area.