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Springy: Highs in the 70s in sight

The warmest air mass of 2021 blows into Minnesota in the next two weeks

NOAA GFS temperature forecast for 7 pm Saturday April 3
NOAA GFS temperature forecast for 7 pm Saturday April 3
NOAA via pivotal weather

Spring is on the weather maps.

Our latest soggy storm eases out of Minnesota overnight. We enjoy a return to sunshine Thursday and Friday. Highs favor the 40s north and 50s south through this weekend. Saturday brings a chance for light rain south and light snow north.

First 70s next week?

Next week’s weather maps favor the warmest temperatures of the year so far. It all starts Monday, when high temperatures surge through the 60s, and could approach the 70-degree mark Monday in parts of Minnesota afternoon.

Forecast high temperatures Monday
Forecast high temperatures Monday
NOAA

A cool front brings cooler temperatures with high in the 40s and 50s in the middle of next week. But the upper air pattern forecasts push an even warmer air mass into Minnesota by next Friday.

Upper air forecast map for 6 pm April 2
Upper air forecast map for 6 p.m. April 2.
NOAA

That favors highs the first weekend of April into the 70s across much of Minnesota. NOAA’s GFS model lays out the warmth for Saturday, April 3.

NOAA GFS temperature forecast for 7 pm Saturday April 3
NOAA GFS temperature forecast for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 3.
NOAA via pivotal weather

If we hit 70 in the Twin Cities it will be the warmest air mass in about five months. The last time the Twin Cities managed 70 degrees was Nov. 8, 2020. The average date for the first 70-degree temperature in the Twin Cities is April 13. If we hit 70 on Saturday, April 3, that’s 10 days earlier than average.

Balmy April?

The meteorological tea leaves point to a potentially balmy April for Minnesota and much of the U.S. NOAA’s week 3-4 outlook strongly favors warmer than average temperatures overall through mid-April.

NOAA week 3 and 4 temperature outlook
NOAA week 3 and 4 temperature outlook
NOAA

If we manage to escape an April snowstorm this year, this could be one of the earliest springs in recent memory.

Stay tuned.