Calm weather at the beginning of the week; The chance of rain returns on Wednesday

The high temperature on Sunday was 57 degrees in Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. That was just 2 degrees below the average high temperature on October 15 in the Twin Cities.

Most of Minnesota saw highs Sunday in the 50s. Some locations reached the lower 60s, including Roseau, Brainerd, International Falls, Hibbing, Duluth and Hinckley.

Temperature trends

Low temperatures late Sunday night/early Monday morning will be in the 30s mainly across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Temperatures in the downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul areas could drop to near 40 degrees, with 30 degrees elsewhere in the metro area.

High temperatures on Monday will be in the 50s mainly in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Highs in the metro area will be in the mid to upper 50s.

Highs on Tuesday could creep into the lower 60s across much of Minnesota, with 50s in northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

High temperatures on Wednesday are expected to be in the lower 60s in about the southern half of Minnesota, with 50s in the north:

Highs for the Twin Cities metro area are expected to be in the upper 50s on Thursday and Friday.

Near-normal highs are expected next weekend and there are no signs of an extended cold stretch in the next couple of weeks. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a slight trend for above-normal temperatures in the southeastern half of Minnesota from October 23 through October 29:

Chances of rain

Monday as well as the daylight hours on Tuesday appear rain-free for much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A chance for scattered showers returns late Tuesday night, with scattered showers possible Wednesday and Wednesday. Some locations may also see stray rain on Thursday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American mesoscale forecast model shows the likely rain pattern from 7pm Tuesday to 10pm Wednesday:

Pay more attention to the patchy nature of the rain than to the exact location of the rain at any given time.

Check forecast updates.

Report on fall colors

Parts of northern Minnesota are past peak fall colors, but beautiful fall colors are still on display across much of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ fall color report for Minnesota State Parks and Trails looks like this:

When you look at a fall color map, keep in mind that all deciduous trees are included, not just maples.

Wisconsin’s fall color report can be found here.

Programming note

You can hear live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35am, 9:35am and 4:39pm every Saturday and Sunday.