An unseasonably warm Easter weekend is in store for Minnesotans, with high winds that fanned wildfires through the week calming down, the National Weather Service said Friday.
This week's dry conditions and gusty winds spawned grass fires in several parts of the state and led to red-flag warnings of extreme wildfire danger that expired late Friday.
However, dry conditions will continue across the state for at least a few days, so the danger of wildfires remains, authorities warned.
"If someone were to drop a cigarette, conditions for that fire spreading are very high," said NWS meteorologist Paige Marten.
The past week's gusty weather was blamed for several large grass fires in Minnesota and the Dakotas. In one case, wind helped spread a fire sparked by a cigarette over 118 acres in Lino Lakes.
On Thursday night, police went door to door to evacuate the approximately 100 residents of Medora, N.D., which sits on the southern edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park off Interstate 94 near the Montana border. They were later allowed to return home.
The powerful gusts came from high pressure over Illinois and the Dakotas, according to Marten. On Friday afternoon, gusts reached up to 30 miles per hour in the Twin Cities.
But by late Friday, winds had died down to 5 to 15 mph. Add in some rain expected to move in over the next few days and conditions should greatly improve, Marten said.
This weekend will bring clear skies and a warm breeze across the state. Saturday's metro-area high could reach 71, with a north wind around 5 mph. Saturday night's low is forecast to be 46.
Easter Sunday will be unseasonably warm, with a high near 76 and south-southeast winds of 5 to 10 mph.
By Sunday night, showers may move in, with an even stronger chance of heavier rain by the middle of the week — rainfall that would be very welcome in to farmers and much of a state that remains unusually dry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Alex Chhith • 612-673-4759
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