Monday stays cold, but extended warmup on the way
Rain, snow and freezing rain are possible by midweek
Temperatures remain cold on Monday but will climb well above average by Wednesday. A wintry mix of precipitation impacts Minnesota later this week.
Monday’s forecast
Some light snow has been moving through southeastern Minnesota Monday morning, and northern parts of the state have a few areas of fog. However, both the fog and the snow should be over by midday, and sunshine will prevail across Minnesota Monday afternoon.
The entire state remains cold, with the northwestern corner of the state under a wind chill advisory until 12 p.m. for wind chills that could feel like minus 30 to minus 40.
Afternoon highs will be 10 to 20 degrees below average, ranging in the single digits west to teens for eastern parts of the state.
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Temperature trend
By Tuesday, almost the entire state is back at or above average for high temperatures thanks to a warmer wind flow from the south. Some parts of the state will see temperatures rise overnight and will set their Tuesday highs at the end of the day. For example, the Twin Cities will likely see temperatures in the upper teens Tuesday afternoon, but in the low 20s by midnight.
That is the start of an impressive warmup that will put most of Minnesota in the 30s by Wednesday, and temperatures will likely stay above average through at least the beginning of next week. Here is the Twin Cities temperature trend through the weekend, with highs in red and low in blue:
Messy weather ahead
That warmup is coming along with a storm that will skirt south of Minnesota and bring precipitation chances Wednesday through Friday. Because the storm will be to the south, southern Minnesota is the most likely to see impacts, and northwestern Minnesota could miss out on the precipitation entirely.
Already by Tuesday, the southerly winds that help warm up the state will also bring breezy conditions statewide, and southern Minnesota could see wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph.
We could see light precipitation make its way across the southeastern half of Minnesota on Wednesday, and most of the state sees chances for winter weather by Thursday. Because of the temperatures, there could be a combination of snow and freezing rain, and southern Minnesota could also see rain mix in.
Precipitation should diminish through the day on Friday as the system departs.
Again, most of the precipitation with this storm should stay light, but with the possibility of ice, be prepared for slick roads.
We will keep you updated as the system approaches!
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.