Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Rain and some snow ahead; upper 60s next week?

Spotty showers Wednesday, more rain and snow coverage late Thursday and Friday

It was another glorious early spring day in Minnesota Tuesday.

This (early) spring in Minnesota continues to feature milder than average air masses. Minnesota is riding the northern edge of unseasonably warm air across the central and high Plains this spring. Highs reached the 50s all the way north to the Canadian border Wednesday afternoon.

It looks like the Twin Cities will finish this month 5 degrees warmer than average. Last March was 4.3 degrees colder than average — with 10.5 inches of snow.

Next system crawls in

Our next weather system takes its sweet time. Wednesday and maybe most of Thursday will actually turn out pretty decent across southeastern Minnesota. It will be breezy, but highs still make the 50s in the Twin Cities. Highs reach the 60s in southwest Minnesota Thursday afternoon.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
NOAA

Showers will be spotty Wednesday and mainly focus on areas north and west of the Twin Cities Thursday. The bulk of the rain, and the transition to some snow happens Thursday night and Friday.

NOAA’s NAM 3 km resolution model captures the essence of just spotty showers, then the transition to snow later Thursday into Friday.

NOAA NAM 3 km model Wednesday into Friday
NOAA NAM 3 km model Wednesday into Friday
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Another inch of liquid

Most models favor another inch of liquid precipitation equivalent — rain and snow — with this system by later Friday. The heaviest totals favor the northwest half of Minnesota.

Here’s the European model output.

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output
European model (ECMWF) precipitation output by Friday night
ECMWF via pivotal weather

60s again next week

The weekend looks chill but sunny. Warmer air pushes in starting Monday. Highs in the 60s Monday could push to near 70 degrees in parts of southern Minnesota by Tuesday.

Temperature forecast for Twin Cities
Temperature forecast for Twin Cities
NOAA via Weather Bell

Spring still seems determined to take hold early this year.

Stay tuned.