Brandon Weatherz: Wet, gloomy, and cooler for the weekend

The weekend is shaping up to be wet, foggy, and cooler. Today is still on the warm side with upper 70s in northeast Minnesota and mid-80s in northwest Wisconsin. By Saturday, we’ll still look from Hinckley to Ironwood and south for 80s because they’ll be on the warm side of the front. North of that line, highs stay in mid-60s to low 70s. Meanwhile, a breezy east wind holds the shorelines in the 50s. Sunday will be when the cooler air settles across the region with highs staying in the 60s even in the warm pockets of Wisconsin. In addition to wet weather, the weekend will be rather gloomy with patchy fog developing tonight and continuing at times through Sunday. Wildfire smoke may also be a contender, returning from the north on Saturday. Air quality will need to be monitored.

Heavy rain and high localized totals are possible with the showers and thunderstorms that develop today through Sunday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms have developed this morning in east central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin near and behind the stalled out front. That action will become more numerous around the Head of Lake Superior through the afternoon. Heavy rain moves north toward the Canadian border overnight. Saturday will feature a return of the rain from the west through the day with more heavy rain and flash flooding possible. Showers linger through Sunday and into Monday. All said and done, we’re on track for at least an inch for most of the Northland and a swath of 2-3” for east central Minnesota into Northwest Wisconsin.

Today: Partly sunny with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mostly in the afternoon and evening. High 79. N wind becoming E 5-10 mph. Chance of rain: 40%

Tonight: Cloudy with thunderstorms early, then showers linger. Areas of fog. Low 57. E wind 5-10 mph. Chance of rain: 50%.

Tomorrow: Cloudy and breezy with areas of fog and periods of rain. High 65. E wind 10-20 mph. Chance of rain: 80%

Tomorrow night: Cloudy and breezy with areas of fog and periods of rain. Low 53. E wind 10-15 mph. Chance of rain: 90%

Sunday: Cloudy and breezy with scattered showers. High 64. NE wind 10-15 mph. Chance of rain: 70%

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for showers. High 74. N wind 10-15 mph. Chance of rain: 40%

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. High 72. E wind 5-10 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers. High 70. E wind 5-10 mph.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for showers. High 65. E wind 5-15 mph. Chance of rain: 30%