Minnesota sees accumulating snow by Tuesday
The warmer pattern of early April is replaced by cooler weather
Areas of rain and snow target Minnesota through Wednesday morning. Then, more sunshine and seasonable April temperatures return the second half of the week.
Monday’s forecast
An area of low pressure is sitting over Lake Superior as of Monday morning, and behind that system, cooler air and rain are moving across the state. This includes a couple heavier rain bands along the North Shore, and light snow in the northwestern corner of the state.
Morning temperatures are in the 30s north and west, with 40s for the rest of the state. Gusty winds from the north and west keep temperature below average Monday afternoon. Highs will be mostly in the 40s, with a few 30s northwest and a couple 50s southeast.
That temperature pattern keeps most of Minnesota’s precipitation as light to moderate rain Monday, although the northwest corner of the state will continue to see snow mix in.
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The rain gets lighter and spottier the farther south you go.
More snow Tuesday
With almost all of Minnesota expected to drop to freezing or colder overnight Monday, more widespread snow starts to mix in by early Tuesday morning.
Highs Tuesday also trend colder, ranging from the mid-30s to low 40s. That keeps some snow mixing in with the rain during the day, and especially for central through northwestern Minnesota, accumulating snow is likely. Areas north of Moorhead and Bemidji are expected to get over 3 inches of snow.
The precipitation finally clears out overnight Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning, most of Minnesota sees drier weather.
Extended forecast
Skies stay mostly cloudy Wednesday and temperatures remain below average, with highs in the 40s. Average highs across Minnesota in mid-April are in the 50s for most of the state.
Temperatures turn more seasonable the second half of the week, with highs in the upper 40s north, and 50s south.
Here is that forecast trend for the Twin Cities:
The extended forecast currently indicates that next week is also likely to continue with temperatures that are near to slightly below average.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.