Minnesota weather: Near-record warmth on a windy Saturday

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A hot, windy Saturday is in store across Minnesota before a calmer and cooler stretch arrives at the start of the work week.

Saturday forecast

Local perspective:

The forecast calls for a high of 88 in the Twin Cities on Saturday. The record high at MSP Airport is 90, while much of Minnesota is expected to climb above 80 and the far northern tier is more likely to stay in the 70s.

A few spots could still touch 90 degrees. Saturday night could stay close to 70 degrees at MSP Airport, which would top the record warmest overnight low of 63, and that is also well above the average high temperature of 61.

Strong winds are expected south of the Brainerd Lakes area, including the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin.

Early Saturday gusts near Buffalo Ridge, south and southwest of the Minnesota River Valley, were already reaching around 40 mph Satruday morning and more areas could see gusts of more than 30 mph throughout the day.

Northern Minnesota is not expected to get the same level of wind. Across much of the state, Saturday looks warm, sunny and gusty with peak gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range.

Future forecast

What's next:

Sunday is still expected to be warm, but the wind should ease back after staying gusty for a while Saturday night and into early Sunday morning. The breeze on Sunday may look more like Friday, with gusts in the upper teens and lower 20s at times.

Clouds are expected to increase on Monday, with a mostly cloudy day and a chance for showers later in the day. Tuesday looks closer to average with a forecast high of 61 degrees.

Temperatures should stay closer to average through the middle of the week, with the potential for some additional cooling. No major weather systems are expected in this stretch.

The forecast includes only a couple of shower chances, one late Monday and another on Thursday. 

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