MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Enjoy a wonderfully pleasant Wednesday with lots of sunshine and highs in the upper 70s, though a few clouds and wildfire haze may linger throughout the day.

Wednesday’s forecast 

It’s a beautiful Wednesday with dew points in the 50s and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. The Twin Cities metro has a daytime high of 78 degrees and overnight lows in the 60s. 

Expect a few passing clouds and lingering haze from wildfire smoke in the atmosphere, which will push off to the north by Thursday. 

Overall, it’s nice and quiet as we head through the day on Wednesday. Enjoy the abundance of sunshine, with some exceptions across western Minnesota, which will have more cloud coverage. 

Looking ahead 

The Minnesota State Fair starts on Thursday, and things look relatively mild. The metro area will experience some cloud coverage and a high of 79 degrees. 

Isolated storms are possible late Wednesday night into Thursday morning in western Minnesota. The storms will try to push east but could fall apart in central Minnesota by mid-morning. 

The isolated storms redevelop late Thursday night and into early Friday morning, which may include the Twin Cities metro area. The rain clears up by the afternoon, and things become much more humid and muggy. 

Early showers are possible on Friday morning, but not everyone will get wet. Things clear out Friday afternoon, but the humidity returns. Expect a high of around 80 degrees in the metro area.

The weekend is far more uncomfortable with increased humidity and heat. Temperatures peak on Sunday and Monday with highs near 90 degrees. 

Here’s a look at your seven-day forecast: 

He is the first of four ex-Minneapolis officers in the incident to finish his sentence and be released.

The federal portion of his prison time was completed in April but he stayed behind bars to satisfy a state sentence for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, a BOP spokesperson told Star Tribune in Minnesota.

Lane, who appeared on scene with three other Minneapolis officers at the time of Floyd’s arrest and killing, already was serving a 30-month sentence in Colorado after he was convicted in July 2022 of violating Floyd’s civil rights. That conviction came for when former officer Derek Chauvin killed Floyd on May 25, 2020, in south Minneapolis.

In May that year, Lane pleaded guilty in Hennepin County to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death and given his 2.5 year sentence.

Floyd, who was Black, died during an arrest when Chauvin knelt on the back of his neck for almost 10 minutes.

Lane was a fourth generation Minneapolis PD officer on his fourth day in the job when his career came to a screeching halt as a result of the incident. Notably, Lane was the only officer of the four to express any concern at the time over Floyd’s inability to breathe, later riding in the ambulance with an unresponsive Floyd while administering chest compressions in a futile attempt to revive him.

Cellphone video footage shows that Lane held Floyd down by his legs while other officers stood watch over a disapproving crowd. Despite repeated pleas for air, Chauvin did not let up which ultimately caused Floyd’s death.

Floyd’s killing at the hands of law enforcement galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked fierce nationwide protests that toppled numerous Civil War relics, Confederate statues and other historical monuments to slavery.

The incident then lead an angry crowd not long after Floyd’s death to set fire to a Minneapolis police precinct.

Chauvin was sentenced to more than 20 years last year after a jury convicted him of murder and manslaughter. He later pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights and is due to be released in 2038.

J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is serving a 3.5 year sentence.

Tou Thao, convicted of second-degree aiding and abetting manslaughter, is serving a nearly five-year sentence.