Light rain, snow Thursday; strong storm targets Minnesota Sunday
Thursday remains windy and colder
It will remain cold and occasionally wet Thursday, then temperatures briefly warm ahead of a potent storm that hits Minnesota Sunday with wind, rain, snow and colder weather.
Thursday’s forecast
Highs will be in the 30s and 40s Thursday, putting most of the state at least 10 degrees below average.
However, it will remain windy, with some gusts over 30 mph. The wind chill will make temperatures Thursday feel even colder.
Skies will be mostly cloudy, and although it will remain predominantly dry, there are occasional light rain and snow showers moving across the state.
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No significant accumulation is expected, although isolated spots in northern Minnesota could see and inch or two of snow.
Friday and Saturday
The wind finally dies down by Friday, and temperatures warm into the 40s and 50s, making the last two days of the week seasonable.
Friday will be fairly sunny, with clouds increasing later into the day. There will be more clouds Saturday, ahead of the next storm, and southern Minnesota could see light rain by Saturday afternoon.
An Easter storm
A strong spring storm will pass south of Minnesota Sunday, then moves east of the state by Monday as it moves away. Because of the storm’s placement, northwestern Minnesota could escape seeing any precipitation, while southeastern Minnesota is likely to see the heaviest precipitation.
The storm will bring chances for light to moderate rain and some snow mixing in for most of the state on Sunday. Then, by Sunday night as temperatures fall, much of the precipitation will change over to snow.
Exact snow totals are still uncertain, but there could be areas of accumulation from Sunday night into Monday. Even for places that do not see any precipitation, the storm will return windy and colder weather across the state.
Here is the forecast for the Twin Cities showing the brief warm-up through Saturday, followed by the return of the colder air:
Once the cold air returns, it sticks around. Most of next week will stay below average, with highs predominantly in the 30s and 40s.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.