Early this afternoon finds an area of low pressure over eastern North Dakota near Fargo with a warm front draped southeast through central Minnesota into central Wisconsin.
For the rest of the day, the low will drift east-northeast, pushing the warm front farther north, while a cold front sweeps southeast across the Northland this evening. By late tonight, the whole system will have moved off to the east.
It’s a humid mid-April day across much of Minnesota, with dew points in the 50s and lower 60s.
This afternoon, some of that richer moisture will drift northeast into northeast Minnesota, and away from Lake Superior, dew points will climb into the low to mid-50s.
Goes-19 visible satellite loop ending 11:51 AM CT Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Temperatures are climbing through the 70s and heading toward the 80s this afternoon in southwest and central Minnesota, while farther north and east sees cooler highs in the 50s and 60s.
At noon, it’s 60 degrees in Brainerd and 63 in Hinckley, with temps in the upper 30s to 40s across northeast Minnesota. By late this afternoon, the stretch from Brainerd to Hinckley should warm into the 70s, while areas farther north toward Floodwood and Moose Lake will see highs in the 60s to near 70.
Note: This afternoon, the warmth won’t make it to areas near Lake Superior, including the Duluth metro, as persistent lake winds will likely keep temperatures in the 40s, with upper 30s right along the shoreline.
60-degree line in black
70-degree line in red
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely this afternoon into early evening across northeast Minnesota as a warm front, cold front, and low-pressure system move through the region.
The risk of severe storms is fairly low for this event, but it can’t be completely ruled out, especially between about 4 PM and 9 PM, give or take an hour.
HRRR model simulated radar forecast through 10 PM Sunday.
Here is the severe weather outlook through this evening from the Storm Prediction Center.
Dark green area: Marginal Risk (level 1/5)
Large hail, ranging from quarter size to ping pong ball size (1-1.5″ in diameter), is the main concern if isolated severe storms pop up in the risk area later this afternoon, with gusty winds of 45-60 mph also possible. The tornado risk looks very low unless temperatures climb to at least 65-70 degrees later this afternoon in the affected area.
