Minnesota weather: Pleasant weekend in the Twin Cities, air quality alert in northern MN

MN weather: Pleasant Twin Cities weekend, air quality alert up north

FOX 9 meteorologist Keith Marler has the full forecast.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - There will be pleasant summer temperatures for the weekend, with a steamy and stormy heat wave expected next week.

Saturday and Saturday outlook 

Local perspective:

Early morning clouds and fog linger just a bit behind last night's storms as dew points hang in the upper 60s this Saturday morning. 

Clouds will gradually break into more of a partly cloudy sky, and dew points will settle into the more manageable mid-60s this afternoon as high temperatures cap out in the upper 70s.

Unfortunately, the area of high pressure that is bringing the pleasant weekend is also being accompanied by some wildfire smoke from Canada that will reach the northern parts of the state.

Code red to code purple air quality can be expected at times across the northern third of the state from Saturday afternoon through late Sunday night, and there is an air quality alert in effect during that time up north. 

The sun shines brightly for a lovely Sunday as dew points fall into the comfortable upper 50s.

Extended forecast 

What's next:

It will quickly turn muggy and unsettled next week. 

Monday could begin with a few weakening rumbles moving out of the Dakotas as dew points begin to climb. 

But a legitimate tropical feeling heat wave begins on Tuesday as dew points soar into the 70s with highs in the mid to upper 80s. 

That leads to heat index values in the 90s for the middle of next week with several opportunities for unsettled storms.