Temps rebound this weekend; Sunday flakes
Air quality alert continues through Sunday morning
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One week ago, our Twin Cities high temp was three degrees below zero. Parts of the metro area could top out in the mid 20s this Saturday afternoon. Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see Saturday highs in the 20s, with a few teens in northeastern Minnesota.
We finally have some enjoyable temps for people who are spending time outdoors. If your weekend plans include sledding, snowboarding, cross-county skiing or snowmobiling, you’ll be interested in Minnesota snow depths. Here’s the latest snow depth report:
The official Twin Cities snow depth, measured at MSP airport, is 8 inches right now. Anoka County and Isanti County have 12 inches or more of snow cover and there’s also more than a foot of snow on the ground in northeastern Minnesota and parts of north-central Minnesota. The darkest blue in northeastern Minnesota indicates 15 or more inches of snow depth, with over 18 inches of snow on the ground in portions of Lake and Cook counties.
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Air quality alert
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for today through Sunday morning from Stearns County through the Twin Cities metro area and on into southeastern Minnesota:
Air quality in those areas will be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including people with asthma, COPD, or heart disease. It’s recommended that people in those groups limit their physical activity until air quality improves. Updates on the air quality alert can be found on the MPCA site.
There’s also an air quality alert in west-central and southwestern Wisconsin, which runs today through 3 p.m. Sunday. The Wisconsin counties with an air quality alert are included on this NWS graphic:
The winter weather advisory (shaded blue) that is shown in portions of southern Minnesota doesn’t begin until 6 a.m. Sunday.
Sunday flakes
West-central and southwestern Minnesota may see snow begin after midnight Saturday night. Periods of snow are expected Sunday in much of central and southern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin, with heavier snow in Iowa. Northeastern Minnesota may see some light snow at times on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High Resolution Rapid-Refresh (HRRR) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Saturday evening through Sunday evening:
The Twin Cities metro area could see an inch or so of snow Sunday/early Sunday evening. Some 2 to 4 inch snow totals are possible Sunday in far southern Minnesota.
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Temperature trends
Sunday highs reach the lower 30s across most Minnesota and western Wisconsin:
There’ll be some 20s in northeastern Minnesota. On Sunday, our Twin Cities metro area highs will reach the 30s for the first time since Feb. 4! Our average Twin Cities high temp is 31 this time of year.
The warmup continues on Monday. Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 40s Monday and Tuesday, followed by mid 30s Wednesday, around 30 on Thursday, then lower 30s Friday
Metro snowfall update
Our Twin Cities snowfall (measured at MSP airport) is running 1.3 inches below normal so far this month, but we’re currently 3 inches above normal for this point in our snow season, which started in the fall.
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.
