Most of Minnesota sees a chance for snow this weekend

Colder weather has settled across the state, and likely stays in place through next week.  This means upcoming precipitation includes chances for snow.

Thursday’s weather

Behind Wednesday’s cold front, the state started off cold Thursday morning, with all but a few spots in southeastern Minnesota at or below freezing.

Highs in the 40s for most of the state will also be about 10 to 15 degrees below average. 

Skies start off mostly sunny, with a few more clouds in the afternoon. 

Although not as windy as Wednesday, where even the Twin Cities saw gusts over 50 mph, Thursday remains breezy, with afternoon wind gusts in the 20 to 30 mph range.

Cold weather remains

Thanks to a series of disturbances and storms that reinforce the colder air, temperatures remain 10 to 20 degrees below average most of this week and much of next week. Highs will be predominantly in the 30s and 40s north and 40s south.

Overnight lows stay chilly in the 20s and 30s, with occasional teens north. Milder weather does return briefly to southern Minnesota Saturday as the next weather system moves in, but temperatures immediately drop again as that system passes though.

Here is the Twin Cities forecast through Monday showing that colder trend:

Precipitation turns snowier

Because of the colder weather, most of the upcoming chances for precipitation include some snow. In fact, already overnight Thursday into early Friday, a disturbance moving across the state could bring light snow north, but a few flakes could mix in with light rain as far south as the Twin Cities. 

The biggest chance for snow comes over the weekend, with a strong storm that will track directly over Minnesota. 

That likely brings measurable snow to northern Minnesota early Saturday morning until the afternoon, at which point temperatures warm enough for more rain to mix in.

With much of northern Minnesota expecting1 to 2 inches or more, this is likely to be the first significant snowfall of the season. 

For southern Minnesota, because Saturday will be mild, the better chance for light snow comes early Sunday as the colder air returns on the backside of the storm.

Unlike the accumulation expected in northern Minnesota, the snow in southern Minnesota currently looks likes a dusting at most.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.