Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Get ready for the warmest air mass of 2021 so far. An unseasonably mild Pacific air mass blows into Minnesota starting Tuesday. 

The upper wind pattern blows in from the Pacific Ocean this week.

The mainly sunny and dry air mass brings high into the 40s most of this week across much of Minnesota. 

Our inbound air mass this week will come in pulses of increasingly mild temperatures. By this weekend, the next push of mild air likely brings the first 50s of the year to the Twin Cities and much of southern and western Minnesota. 

By Monday, temperatures could push the mid-50s in the Twin Cities, with 60 degrees in western Minnesota. I expect snow cover will be mostly gone in much of southern Minnesota by next Monday.

The pattern that’s bringing our milder air mass looks persistent through most of March. All of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s temperature outlook through day 14 and beyond strongly favor above-average temperatures in Minnesota. 

Even NOAA’s week 3 and 4 outlooks favor milder than average air through about March 26. 

Of course, we can still get snow. But the trends suggest this month may actually bring more rain than snow to many locations. Spring-like weather appears ready to arrive early in parts of Minnesota. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

Unseasonably mild air blows into Minnesota this week. 

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