Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Weekend forecast: cool Saturday, milder Sunday

Chance of rain/snow showers in some areas Saturday evening and Sunday

Our first weekend of astronomical spring will start out very chilly.

The combination of mostly clear skies and light winds will allow temperatures to drop below zero by Saturday morning in parts of far northern Minnesota, with single-digit lows in the remainder of the north:

rt0321l
Saturday morning forecast low temps
National Weather Service

Saturday morning lows will be mainly in the teens to the south.

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 44 degrees on March 21. We’ll probably top out in the upper 30s this Saturday in the metro area. Most of Minnesota will see Saturday highs in the 30s, with a sprinkling of upper 20s in parts of the north:

rt0321h2
Saturday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Saturday afternoon wind chills will be in the teens in the north, with 20s elsewhere:

rt0321chl2
Saturday 1 p.m. forecast wind chills
National Weather Service

Sunday high temps are forecast to reach the 40s in the south, with 30s north:

rt0322h2
Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Most spots in the Twin Cities metro area are expected to reach the mid-40s Sunday afternoon.

Sunday afternoon wind chills will be in the 20s to the north, with 30s in central and southern Minnesota:

rt0322chl2
Sunday 1 p.m. forecast wind chills
National Weather Service

Rain/snow shower chances

Some rain showers or snow showers could develop over Minnesota and western Wisconsin Saturday evening. There will be a chance of scattered snow showers Saturday night and Sunday morning, with a chance of scattered rain showers Sunday afternoon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon:

rt320rad
Simulated radar Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Snow depths

There’s little or no snow cover right now across the southern half of Minnesota, but there’s still substantial snow cover in parts of northern Minnesota.

Here’s the latest snow depth map, courtesy of the Minnesota State Climatology Office and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

rt0320mnsno
Thursday snow depth
Minnesota State Climatology Office/Minnesota DNR

Much of northeastern Minnesota has 18 inches or more of snow cover, and portions of Lake and Cook counties of northeastern Minnesota have snow depths of 30 inches or more. The snow cover is expected to shrink a bit this coming week, as warmer temps arrive.