Wednesday turns warm and windy

Light snow moves across northern Minnesota

Significantly milder weather returns Wednesday, along with gusty winds and more sunshine for much of the state.

Wednesday’s forecast

Unlike most mornings, where temperatures warm as you go south across Minnesota, the contrast Wednesday morning is west to east. 
Under the influence of a strong warm front, winds across Minnesota started shifting southerly Tuesday evening.  As that happened, warmer air started moving across the state, increasing temperatures overnight.  Since the wind shift impacted western Minnesota first, that part of the state had more time for temperatures to rise, so, as of 7 a.m., temperatures range from 20s and upper teens west to single digits east.

weather graphic
7 a.m. Wednesday winds and temperatures
National Weather Service

The warming trend continues all day, bringing most highs into the 30s, which is 10 to 20 degrees above average for most of the state.

weather graphic
Wednesday high temperatures
National Weather Service

The breezy conditions driving those temperatures also increase into the afternoon, causing gusts from 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon for much of the state, and possibly over 40 mph in northwestern Minnesota.

The storm causing Wednesday’s conditions is well to the north in Canada, but northern Minnesota is getting clipped with light snow from it, and very light rain or freezing rain could mix in during the afternoon as temperatures warm.
Because of this, northern Minnesota stays mostly cloudy through the day, while the rest of the state sees more sunshine, especially in the afternoon.

Temperatures dive again by Friday, and snow is likely over the weekend.

That extended forecast will be updated by 9:30 a.m.

Programming note

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

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