Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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There isn’t much weather drama on tap as we start 2021 on Friday. Far northern Minnesota may see some patchy light snow showers Thursday night and early Friday morning.

Check weather forecasts if you are heading toward Missouri, Kansas, southeastern Iowa or northern Illinois on New Year’s Day. A winter storm will drop heavy snow and possibly some freezing rain and sleet in parts of those states.

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

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR 

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

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees this time of year. Twin Cities metro area highs will be in the mid 20s on New Year’s Day, and we’ll share 20s with much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Winds will be fairly light on New Year’s Day.

Saturday highs will be mainly in the 20s:

Some spots in far southwestern and far northwestern Minnesota could creep into the lower 30s.

Sunday highs will reach the lower 30s in some areas:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 30s on Monday, followed by lower 30s Tuesday and Wednesday.

You may recall that It felt like September for a few days in early November. The Twin Cities saw highs in the 70s on five days in early November. The November warmth was one of the most notable weather events of 2020.

The Minnesota State Climatology Office has released the results of voting for the 

op Five Weather Events of 2020 in Minnesota

I should mention that the Dec. 23 blizzard occurred after the votes had been tabulated. That blizzard would have made the top 5 list. Here are the results of the voting, along with Climatology Office narratives:

The Dec. 23 blizzard was Honorable Mention #1 in the Climate Office list: 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

We’re in for a quiet stretch of weather as we start 2021. I have details on that, plus a look at the top five Minnesota weather events of 2020.

Quiet weather as 2021 begins; top 5 weather events of 2020

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