St. Cloud, MN Weather Forecast

92nd 80-Degree Day High Yesterday

Our dry spell produced highs in the lower 80's in much of central and southern Minnesota (see yesterday's 4 PM CDT NWS WPC North America zoom-in map), including a St. Cloud high of 81 degrees, the 92nd high of at least 80 degrees this warm season. That ties 1988 for the second highest total in St. Cloud records.

Slightly Warmer Than Average Today Through Friday

This morning, we have mostly clear skies once again (see College of DuPage North America clean infrared satellite loop), but the cold front pushing through Minnesota yesterday afternoon has brought in more seasonable air from the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Early this morning, central Minnesota temperatures are in the upper or even middle 40's (see NWS Aviation Weather Center METAR map). Temperatures may end up a few degrees above average today through Friday (highs in the 60's Thursday, near 70 today and Friday; lows in the 40's).

We will have a few more clouds beginning Friday as much warmer air gets pushed over the top of the seasonable air. There will only be a 1 in 5 chance for rain.

Major Western Weekend Storm...

Eventually, a strong low from the southern Alaskan coast (see Pacific mid-tropospheric water vapor loop from Colorado State satellite slider) will push through the Pacific Northwest and approach the Northern Plains. That system will get quite strong and could even pull in moisture from eastern Pacific Hurricane Rachel (click on Pacific tab) (see system at southwestern edge of College of DuPage North America clean infrared satellite loop), so it will produce a lot of western US precipitation. That system will also pull some unseasonably cool air, so it could be a very strong storm.

...Will Produce Major Friday-Saturday Warm-Up (and Perhaps Beyond)

The effect of this system on Minnesota will initially be the potential for near record warm high and low temperatures at least on Saturday. Highs will be in the 80's and lows could remain in the 60's. Whether we will have another shot at record temperatures Sunday will depend on whether the storm pushes far enough eastward through the Canadian Prairie Provinces to pull its cold front through central Minnesota. If the front comes through, much cooler air will push in, knocking temperatures down to much more seasonable levels. 

The combination of very warm and still dry air and strong winds will increase the fire potential as long as we stay in the warm air mass. Saturday looks to be a high fire danger day and that could continue into Sunday.

...Then Major Early Week Cool Down (But When?)

Eventually, moisture will stream in on the colder side of the storm, so much of the precipitation in the Northern Rockies and perhaps even Montana shown on Days 4-7 of the NWS WPC quantitative precipitation forecast could fall as snow. That moisture will produce the potential for some cold rain in Minnesota sometime during the first half of next week, but picking which day that would happen is still very uncertain at this point. 

It's also uncertain how much of the really cool air will get into Minnesota behind the storm or how long it would last. 

September 2026 St. Cloud Weather Summary Available

Our warm September has put St. Cloud in 9th place for the warmest first 9 months of the year (see St. Cloud September 2026 Weather Summary). The 9 days with a high of at least 80 degrees has put 2026's warm season in third place (with 91 days) for the most highs that warm. And, the more frequent rainfall has slightly eased the low lake levels and streamflow in central and north central Minnesota.