Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

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The 2020 Minnesota Fishing Opener is this Saturday. Dress for chilly weather, and parts of Minnesota will see some snow showers or rain showers. More on that in a moment. 

Winds will start out light, then increase to 8-16 mph in many areas Saturday afternoon. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has 

 about social distancing while enjoying the outdoors.  

The Minnesota State Climatology Office has a 

 of historic Minnesota Fishing Opener Weather. As you might imagine, we’ve seen a wide range of weather on the fishing opener:

Temperatures will plunge overnight. You’ll want to bring your potted plants indoors and cover tender plants that cannot be brought indoors.

Lows temperatures will dip into the 20s and 30s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin late Friday night and early Saturday morning:

 Here’s a closer look at low temps Saturday morning:

Official temperatures are measured 5 feet above the ground. When winds are light, the temperature at ground level can be several degrees cooler than the temp measured at 5 feet above the ground. 

I expect ground-level temps to dip into the 20s in many parts of the metro area and elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Freeze warnings run from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday across much of southern Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

The freeze warning begins at midnight Friday night in southeastern Minnesota.

Freezing temps are also expected in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, but the main growing season isn’t considered to have started in those areas.

Updates on freeze warnings can be found on the 

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 68 degrees on May 9 and May 10. We’ll be well below average this weekend.

Saturday highs will be mainly in the 50s, with some 40s in northwestern Minnesota and parts of the northeast:

A few spots in southwestern Minnesota may top 60 degrees.

A low-pressure system is expected to spread precipitation across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Saturday into Sunday morning. It’ll bring rain to some areas and a mix of rain and snow to other areas. 

There could be a swath of accumulating snow from northwestern Minnesota through central Minnesota and on into western Wisconsin. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday morning through Sunday morning:

With this track, the Twin Cities metro area would have a chance of  rain showers Saturday afternoon and evening, with a mix of rain and snow possible overnight Saturday night into Sunday morning. 

The northern part of the Twin Cities metro area seems to have a chance of some snow accumulation on grassy areas. There may be a swath of 2-plus inches of snow in some portions of Minnesota that are north of Interstate-94. Check for updates.

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR 

, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News 

Measurable snow is one-tenth of an inch or more of snow.  The NWS checked Twin Cities official weather records and found that our most recent Mother’s Day with measurable snow was in 1946:

We’ll see if we end our snow-less Mother’s Day streak this year.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

It won’t be warm and sunny for the 2020 Minnesota Fishing Opener or for Mother’s Day. We have details on freeze warnings and who may see some rain and snow.

Weekend forecast: Saturday freeze warning; Sunday morning snowflakes possible

Go Deeper.

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