Good Question: Is Memorial Day Weekend Weather Always Bad?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It is hard to trust the weather in Minnesota when planning holiday weekends.
Rain and clouds all seem to be lingering right around the corner. In fact, some rain is expected in five of the next six days.
Two weeks ago it was 50 degrees, and we know this weekend, historically, is no sure thing. Four of the past five Memorial Days have had rain.
WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak sees a nice day on Sunday, sandwiched between possible rain on Saturday and Memorial Day.
"Two things are at play, and they all come down to the fact that the spring and the fall are both sort of transition seasons here," Augustyniak said.
He says one factor is the sun, and how much energy it is giving the earth.
"During those transition months when it's ramping up or ramping down, that solar energy can cause a lot of storms to get stuck and sit over one area for a long time," Augustyniak said.
The other factor is the jet stream.
"The jet stream, which sort of influences the storms and where they track, is slowly moving north over our heads throughout the spring and into the summer," he said.
That means one day can be picture perfect, and the next can be stormy.
Keep in mind that each of the past five Memorial Day weekends have had at least some rain.
"If it rained every Tuesday over the course of a season, nobody would really notice that. But we're all really into the forecast on days like Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July," Augustyniak said.
He says it is not just Minnesota that struggles with the weather on Memorial Day weekend. It is not uncommon in Boston to have highs in the 50s if it is cloudy and there is a strong breeze -- thanks to those cold ocean waters.