Morning flakes up north; a chilly and breezy Thursday
Saturday rain, then nicer on Sunday
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Yes, snowflakes fell in parts of far northern Minnesota early Thursday morning:
Orr is in northwestern St. Louis County. How much snow did they measure up there?
One-half inch of snow was reported in Bigfork, Minn., which is in northern Itasca County.
The snow will melt quickly Thursday, but temperatures will be colder than normal. Some areas could see frost early Friday:
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Winds will lighten up Thursday night, and if most of the clouds clear out there could be many low temps in the 30s across Minnesota and western Wisconsin before sunrise on Friday.
The Twin Cities metro area could drop to round 40, with some upper 30s in some of the far suburbs. When winds are light and there isn’t much cloud cover, we can get frost at ground level even if the official temp at 5 feet above ground is in the mid-30s to upper 30s.
Check forecast updates later Thursday.
Temperature trends
Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see highs in the 50s on Friday:
In case you’re wondering, our average Twin Cities high is 64 degrees this time of year.
Saturday highs reach 60 or higher in much of southern Minnesota:
Highs retreat slightly on Sunday:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 60 on Monday, followed by mid-60s Tuesday and upper 60s Wednesday.
Weekend rain chances highest on Saturday
Periods of rain are likely on Saturday across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with a thunderstorm also possible.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential rain pattern Friday evening through Saturday evening:
We could see an isolated afternoon shower on Sunday.
How wet has it been?
The official rainfall total for the past seven days was 1.55 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Rainfall totals were in the 4-to-6-inch range just few miles south and southwest of Duluth for that same seven-day period:
Southern Wisconsin has also seen some very large seven-day rain totals.
Fall colors
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has issued a fall color report that shows many areas with substantial fall color in northern and central Minnesota, plus parts of southern Minnesota:
Keep in mind that the fall color report includes all deciduous trees, not just maples. A Wisconsin fall color report is also available.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.
