Weekend forecast: Quiet weather; Saturday will be the warmest day

A look at Thanksgiving weather history

Our official Twin Cities high temperature this Thanksgiving was 36 degrees. That was one degree warmer than our average Nov. 26 high. The Twin Cities metro area, plus most of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, had pesky clouds all day. Northwestern and west-central Minnesota enjoyed some sunshine for part of Thursday afternoon.

Thanksgiving weather records

The Minnesota State Climatology Office has assembled Twin Cities Thanksgiving Day weather data, which goes back to 1872.

Here’s an excerpt from the Climatology Office post:

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Because Thanksgiving Day occurs at the transition period between autumn and winter, Thanksgiving weather can be balmy to brutal. A typical Thanksgiving Day in the Twin Cities has high temperatures in the 30's and at least a bit of filtered sunshine.

Having a mild day in the 50's on Thanksgiving Day is relatively rare, looking at the historical record back to 1872. A maximum of 50 or more has happened only 11 times in 148 years, or about once every 13 years or so. The warmest Thanksgiving Day is a tie of 62 degrees in 1914 and 1922. The mildest recent Thanksgiving Day was 60 degrees on November 22, 2012. This tied 1939 as the third warmest Thanksgiving back to 1872 for the Twin Cities.

I remember that warm Thanksgiving Day in 2016. It was fun to be out walking without a jacket after dinner that year!

Thursday night snow chances north

Roughly the northern third of Minnesota plus parts of northwestern Wisconsin may see light snow showers at times Thursday night and Friday morning.

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

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Simulated radar Thursday evening through Friday morning
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

There could also be a bit of light freezing rain or freezing drizzle in a few spots.

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

Weekend temps and winds

Our Friday highs will reach the 30s in most areas, with a few lower 40s in southwestern Minnesota:

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Friday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Friday wind gusts are expected to be in the 14-20 mph range:

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Friday noon forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

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

Back to temps, Saturday highs are expected to top out in the 40s in most areas, with 50s in southwestern Minnesota:

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Saturday forecast highs
National Weather Service

There’ll be a few highs in the 30s in far northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border.

Saturday afternoon wind gusts will be in the 15-22 mph range:

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Saturday noon forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

Sunday highs will return to the 30s:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Winds will pick up a bit by Sunday afternoon.

I don’t expect any significant weather problems in Minnesota or western Wisconsin Saturday or Sunday.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.