Higher temperatures into this weekend; Saturday evening rain/snow?
Lake ice resources
If you haven’t finished raking your leaves and that garden hose that’s connected to your house still hasn’t been drained and stowed away, you’re in luck. Afternoon temps will be well above freezing in most areas over the next few days.
Temperature trends
Friday highs will range from the 20s in far northern Minnesota to the 40s in far southern Minnesota. The Twin Cities metro area will top out in the upper 30s to around 40. Our average high temp is 41 degrees this time of year in the Twin Cities.
Saturday highs will reach 40 degrees or higher across most of western, central and southern Minnesota:
We’re shooting for the lower 40s in the Twin Cities.
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Sunday highs retreat slightly, but upper 30s are expected in the Twin Cities:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 40 Monday through Wednesday of next week.
Rain and snow chances late Saturday into early Sunday
Here are some weekend highlights:
Saturday will be breezy.
Rain moves into portions of western Minnesota during the mid- to late afternoon hours on Saturday, and then expands into eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin Saturday evening, mixing with snow up north.
The rain/snow mix changes to mostly snow in northern Minnesota Saturday night. A mix of rain/snow is expected elsewhere, including the Twin Cities, overnight Saturday night.
Some drizzle/light snow showers will be possible in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin Sunday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning:
Listen for updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Lake ice
Lake ice is starting to form in parts of Minnesota. If you’re wondering how soon the ice typically covers your favorite lake, you can check here.
Here’s the data for Lake Minnetonka:
The median ice in date on Lake Minnetonka is Dec. 8. The earliest ice-in date on Lake Minnetonka was Nov. 25, 1991. That’s not surprising, since we had plenty of snow cover and some very cold temperatures after the Halloween blizzard of 1991!
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.