Expect melting this week thanks to a January thaw
Light snow is likely to return by Thursday
Temperatures stay well above average most of the week, and a chance for snow returns by Thursday.
Monday’s weather
Monday morning started off very mild, with most of the state seeing temperatures in the 20s. This means most of the morning lows were warmer than our average highs for mid-January.
Winds are out of the southwest to start the day, shifting more westerly through the day. Those warm winds will help push highs into the 30s for almost the entire state.
A few 40s are even possible in the southwestern corner of the state.
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It stays mostly cloudy Monday, but there will still be some breaks of sunshine, especially in southern Minnesota.
The whole state gets above freezing
Averages put mid-January as the coldest time of the year in Minnesota, but that is definitely not the case this season.
Highs even into northern Minnesota will be mostly in the 30s through Thursday, with occasional 40s in southern Minnesota, so except widespread melting. The warmest day for most of the state is expected Wednesday.
The highs through midweek are at least 10 to 20 degrees above average, and mild overnights have some of our lows 15 to 30 degrees above average or more.
A weather system Thursday into Friday brings back seasonable January cold, with highs in the teens and 20s by Saturday.
Snow returns
The dreary pattern that brought foggy mornings and cloudy skies much of last week is finally breaking.
Not only will there be a bit more sunshine, but fog is not a major concern either this week.
That pattern also kept relatively little snow from making it to Minnesota so far this January, so the shift in the weather now means more snow chances return. This includes a storm that is likely to bring light snow across the state Thursday into Friday.
It currently looks like totals could range from 1 to 3 inches. However, due to the mild temperatures this week, there could be far less in southern Minnesota because some rain will probably mix in.
We will keep you posted as the storm approaches!
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.