Rain chances, then a mix of rain and wet snow this Saturday and Saturday night

It’s starting out very cold this Saturday, with 20s and 30s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The 2020 Minnesota Fishing Opener will be memorable for the chilly temps and the possible snowflakes in some areas.

Saturday highs reach the 60s in southern Minnesota, with 50s across central Minnesota and parts of the northeast and 40s to the northwest:

Winds are starting out light this Saturday morning, but they’ll pick up a bit this afternoon. Forecast 1 p.m. wind gusts are in the teens in most locations, and over 20 mph in the southwest:

Plotted gusts are in knots, with 13 knots equal to 15 mph.

Rain and snow chances

A low-pressure system is expected to spread precipitation across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin from Saturday into Saturday night, tapering off 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:

The Twin Cities metro area will probably see some showers this afternoon and evening, with a thunderstorm also possible. A rain/snow mix is possible overnight and early Sunday.

Here’s the NWS depiction of accumulating snow potential this weekend:

A closer look at the possible snow accumulations Saturday and Saturday night in eastern portions of North Dakota and parts of northwestern Minnesota:

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

Updraft will be updated by around 9:30 a.m., with a look at Sunday and the week ahead.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.