Storms in southeast Minnesota Friday night; #Top10WXDay on tap for Saturday
Storms will move across southeastern Minnesota on Friday night.
They will fire up around the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 90 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. and move east of Rochester around 10 p.m. The system is expected to be out of the state by the end of Friday.
Hail, storm winds and heavy rain are the main threats of the storms. There's a slight risk for severe storms in Rochester and other communities in the southeast part of the state, while the southeast metro and areas to the south are at a marginal risk.
Saturday is a #Top10WxDay with sunny conditions, low wind gusts and temperatures in the low 80s.
Severe storms may move through parts of the state on Sunday afternoon and evening as well Monday afternoon and evening. As of Friday afternoon, southwest Minnesota is at an enhanced risk, the state's central region is at a slight risk and areas to the north face a marginal risk. About 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible between the two days in parts.
Temperatures on Sunday will be in the 70s with rain chances throughout.
High temperatures will be in the 60s next week and conditions look to be mainly dry after Tuesday.
Red Flag Warning in effect
The National Weather Service says a Red Flag Warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Friday due to the low relative humidity and strong winds.
Affected counties include Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac Qui Parle, Lake, Lake Of The Woods, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Roseau, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wilkin, Wright and Yellow Medicine.
"Fine fuels, such as grass and small twigs, can dry out quickly when the relative humidity is low and winds are strong," said Karen Harrison, a Department of Natural Resources wildfire prevention specialist. "These fine fuels can easily ignite and start a wildfire that spreads quickly".
An air quality alert is also in effect until 9 p.m. Friday in parts of northwestern Minnesota due to blowing dust concerns.