A little warmer, more moisture, and also a chance for some shower and thunderstorm activity today are in the discussion. We’ll start off the day with some fog in areas across the two counties, and that should begin to burn off fairly quickly as the sun comes out. A very calm wind to start will shift to our southwest becoming 7-8MPH by this afternoon. Highs today expected in the lower 80s with a mostly sunny day. We’ll bring in chances for showers and some thunderstorms for this afternoon into the late evening hours. Some of the storms could pose a severe threat.
A surface low will move eastward to our north across Minnesota and into Wisconsin today which will bring a chance for isolated to scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Dew points will likely be in the lower 70s which is sufficient for storm development. However, the instability (or energy) for storm development is not as strong as our previous storms have been, which will cause an isolated to scattered event rather than a widespread event. Our wind shear profiles are normal for this time of year. This means that it will likely favor development of a few thunderstorms that could produce some hail up to an inch in diameter, and also a small chance for a weak tornado.
A quick summary of threats shown in our graphic. We’ll closely monitor the weather today, but the main risks will be straight lines winds, and possibly some hail. The hail threat will be associated with any thunderstorm that could develop ahead of the trailing cold front. A few supercells could develop ahead of the trailing cold front which would bring that hail threat, and also a low chance for a weak tornado.
A look into the next three days is pictured. A beautiful Friday is expected with decreasing clouds throughout the day, and then a little bit warmer on Saturday; but dry. Sunday we’ll reintroduce some rain chances and possibly some thunderstorms.