Mild spring temperatures to build through the weekend
A narrow band of light snow brought a dusting of flakes and snow pellets to the Twin Cities area and parts of southern Minnesota Tuesday morning. A separate area of patchy light snow will continue over parts of the Arrowhead.
But the main weather story is that more mild temperatures are coming our way. Tuesday will be warmer than normal for most of us, albeit with a gusty west breeze.
As of 7 a.m., Minneapolis was reporting a temperature of 33 degrees on a day when the average low is 19. Bemidji, in northwestern Minnesota, reported 28 degrees. In western Minnesota, Olivia reported 32. In southern Minnesota, Owatonna showed 34.
Look for high temperatures mainly in the 30s. The Twin Cities should creep into the low 40s if enough sun shines between the clouds.
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Look forward to Sunday
Milder-than-normal temperatures will continue through the remainder of the week. The day to mark on your calendar will likely be Sunday when the Twin Cities high temperature might touch 60. That’s T-shirt weather when it comes in early March.
Frigid day one year ago Tuesday
To put these early spring temperatures into perspective, let’s remember our awful late winter and spring of 2019.
A year ago on March 3, the Twin Cities had 20 inches of snow on the ground, a record-tying morning low temperature of 13 degrees below zero and a high temperature of zero with a gusty west wind. The National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen measured a low of 19 below. Brr!
Upcoming spotty precipitation
A weak weather disturbance will race southeastward across parts of southern Minnesota Tuesday evening and overnight. The precipitation is likely to begin as rain and then transition to wet snow.
Some locations, mainly in southwestern and south central Minnesota, could pick up one to two inches by Wednesday morning.
The next disturbance will bring scattered light snow to northern Minnesota Wednesday night and Thursday. Looking further ahead in my meteorological crystal ball, rain and snow are in the extended outlook for Sunday night and into Monday.
Temperatures will return to about normal on Monday behind that precipitation.