Lots of variable weather for the Twin Cities this Wednesday, with temperatures in the 70s until 7 a.m., dropping into the mid-50s by 10 a.m. and staying in the 50s this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms will move into the Twin Cities after 2 p.m. and continue through Thursday morning with lows dropping to near 40 degrees. Winds on Wednesday will be from the west at speeds of 10 to 30 km/h, with gusts of +25 km/h this afternoon. However, tonight they will shift northwards, with speeds of 10-30 km/h and gusts of up to 30 km/h.

Halloween on Thursday starts wet: rain mixes with snow in the morning and it can sometimes snow completely around noon. Everything will end as a mix of rain and snow at 5 p.m. Snow totals of more than an inch are possible Thursday from St. Cloud to North Branch to Duluth and into northwestern Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. Highs on Thursday in the Twin Cities will be in the low 40s with northeasterly winds 6-20 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. Clouds and wind will decrease on Halloween evening with temperatures around 37 degrees at 6pm to 34 degrees at 10pm and 30 degrees at 7am Friday.

Warmer temperatures for the upcoming weekend – back into the 50s to near 60 degrees with rain and thunderstorms likely Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Election Day Tuesday looks partly cloudy with highs in the low 50s.

Jonathan Yuhas