Winter storm warnings in northern Minnesota

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Colder air that has settled across the state means all of Minnesota finally gets a first frost — and more areas see their first freeze. Next week turns slightly milder again, but also wetter.

The storm that brought rain to much of Minnesota Wednesday is clearing out quickly Thursday morning, with only a couple persistent areas of drizzle in southeastern Minnesota as of 9 a.m.

Skies have already cleared in the northern half of the state, bringing mostly sunny skies Thursday. More clouds are still lingering south but breaks of sunshine will increase during the day.

Because of the clear skies, temperatures in northern Minnesota were able to drop into the 20s Thursday morning, with morning lows mostly in the 30s in central Minnesota. Southern Minnesota kept more temperatures in the 40s thanks to the cloud cover.

Highs Thursday will be noticeably colder behind Wednesday’s storm, with most of the state in the 40s and a couple low 50s south.

This is actually only a couple degrees below average for Oct. 21. For example, the average Twin Cities high on this date is 55. It just feels frigid in comparison to the exceptional warmth Minnesota has experienced most of October.

Under partly cloudy skies Thursday night, and with the chillier air that has settled over Minnesota, lows by Friday morning will drop into the 20s for much of the state with a few low 30s south and west. 

Morning lows are expected to be a couple degrees colder Saturday morning, with most of the state in the 20s and the Twin Cities right near freezing.

Almost all of Minnesota has already seen frost this season, but there are a few spots in southern Minnesota that have not, particularly around the Twin Cities. Any remaining areas that have not had a first frost will hit the milestone Friday or Saturday morning, and more areas will also see a freeze. In fact, the southeastern edge of Minnesota, including Rochester, has already been put under a freeze warning overnight Thursday until 9 a.m. Friday.

Highs remain seasonably cool, with most of the state in the 40s and a few low 50s south through the weekend. Temperatures nudge slightly warmer next week, with more of Minnesota back in the 50s, which is actually slightly above average for late October.

Here is that temperature trend for the Twin Cities:

Next week is also likely to bring above-average precipitation to the state. While most of the wet weather is expected to be rain, the colder air in the mornings means some snow could mix in, especially north. 

The first storm to impact the state next week may target predominantly southern Minnesota Sunday into Monday. 

Then, a mid-week storm that currently looks like it could impact the state on Wednesday has a better chance for bringing state-wide rain chances. 

That precipitation would be beneficial because — although the state has seen major improvements in drought conditions over the past two months — 62 percent of Minnesota is still in some category of drought as of data released Thursday morning.

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

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Nicole Mitchell 

Author

Colder air that has settled across the state means all of Minnesota finally gets a first frost — and more areas see their first freeze. Next week turns slightly milder again, but also wetter.


Widespread frost and freeze conditions Friday and Saturday mornings

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