Travel weather stays cooperative through Sunday
Thanksgiving brings the coldest temperatures of the long holiday weekend
A cold front sets the stage for a chilly Thanksgiving, but limited precipitation means holiday travel has few weather impacts.
Wednesday’s forecast
Coming off Tuesday’s milder day and with southerly winds across most of Minnesota overnight, the state started Wednesday warm for late November. Morning temperatures ranging from the upper 20s north to a few upper 40s south were 10 to 20 degrees above average for lows.
However, Wednesday is a day where our actual lows likely come at the end of the day.
A cold front is moving across Minnesota that has made it through all but the southeastern corner of the state as of 9 a.m., and colder air is funneling in behind it.
So, temperatures will drop across much of Minnesota through the day, meaning our highs for the day are actually in the morning.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
By the afternoon, temperatures will be in the teens north and 30s south, and gusty northwest winds over 20 mph could put wind chill temperatures below zero in portions of northern Minnesota.
The cold front does not have a lot of moisture with it, but northern and central Minnesota could see a couple flakes with a few isolated spots getting a dusting.
In fact, if you are traveling Wednesday, ahead of the holiday, much of the country has cooperative weather, with limited areas seeing precipitation and no major storms.
Here is that nationwide weather picture for Wednesday evening:
Holiday forecast
Cooler air continues to moves across the state overnight Wednesday, making for a frigid start Thanksgiving morning. Air temperatures will be in the single-digits north with teens south, but breezy conditions put the morning wind chills below zero for much of the state. Highs also stay chilly, in the teens north and 20s south, but under plentiful sunshine.
The colder weather is brief though, because by Friday, a southerly flow returns putting most of Minnesota back in the 30s for highs.
Saturday will be a couple degrees warmer, with a few more 40s south. Another cold front that moves through Saturday will dip temperatures a few degrees colder on Sunday again.
Here is that temperature trend for the Twin Cities through the holiday weekend:
Even with Saturday’s cold front, precipitation chances are spotty. There is likely to be some light snow north and a few sprinkles and snowflakes south, but nothing significant is currently expected.
Nationwide, this also remains one of the more traveler-friendly Thanksgiving weekends in terms of weather.
The cold front that moved through Minnesota Monday does bring more rain up the East Coast Thursday and Friday.
However, overall for the weekend and especially by the other big holiday travel day of Sunday, the larger pattern is pretty tame.
Have a lovely and safe holiday!
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.