Light snow chances highest in the north on Sunday
Chilly start to the coming week, then mild temps return
Our Saturday high at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 32 degrees. That’s not bad, considering the fact that our average Dec. 12 high is only 28 degrees in the Twin Cities. It was a breezy afternoon, so we had Saturday afternoon wind chill temps in the lower 20s.
Sunday highs may creep into the lower 30s in parts of southern Minnesota, with 20s in central and northern Minnesota:
Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area are expected to top 30 degrees.
Winds will be picking up as we go through Sunday. By Sunday afternoon and evening, winds will be gusting to 20-30 mph in many areas:
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Plotted gusts are in knots, with 21 knots equal to around 24 mph and 26 knots equal to 30 mph.
Sunday snow chance
Areas of light snow are expected to spread across northern and central Minnesota on Sunday, eventually reaching northwestern Wisconsin. The Twin Cities metro area will have a chance of light snow showers or flurries anytime after about 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Sunday and Sunday evening:
You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Temperature trends
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 20s on Monday, followed by upper 20s Tuesday and lower 30s on Wednesday. We could reach the mid 30s on Thursday and 40 degrees on Friday. I don’t see any big snowstorms this coming week.
Above-normal temps could stay with us next weekend and into Christmas week. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temps in Minnesota and Wisconsin from Dec. 20 through Dec. 26:
Keep in mind that even highs in the 30s are above-normal this time of year.
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.