A chilly Thanksgiving, then a milder weekend
Rain and snow chances return to Minnesota Saturday
The Thanksgiving chill is likely to be the coldest weather for the next week, with seasonable temperatures back by the weekend.
Thanksgiving forecast
The chilly air that moved across Minnesota behind Wednesday’s cold front has made for a frigid start Thursday morning. Morning temperatures are in the single-digits for most of the state, with a couple negative readings in northern Minnesota. Southeastern Minnesota is slightly milder with a few more morning temperatures in the teens, but that is where the winds are still the gustiest, so wind chills are still near zero as of 9 a.m.
Winds continues to diminish during the day, but temperatures remain well below average, with highs only in the teens north and 20s south.
This is about 10 degrees below normal for late November. The one thing that will make it feel a bit more pleasant is abundant sunshine throughout the day.
Weekend forecast
Already by late Thursday, winds shift and become southerly again as Minnesota gets ahead of a warm front. This warms most of Minnesota back into the 30s by Friday afternoon.
Skies will be a little cloudier though, and the Arrowhead could see a couple morning flurries.
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.
The same system that brings in the milder air Friday pushes another cold front and a more widespread precipitation chance through Minnesota on Saturday.
Light snow and maybe a little freezing precipitation move into northern Minnesota late Friday, which is likely to be all snow for northern and central Minnesota by Saturday morning. The moisture spreads to southern Minnesota by the afternoon, but there it is more likely to be light rain or sprinkles.
All of Saturday’s precipitation is very sparse, with less than an inch of snow expected, and little rain accumulation.
Saturday is still seasonable with highs in the 30s before the colder air of the front drops temperatures a few degrees on Sunday.
Here is that temperature trend for the Twin Cities through the holiday weekend:
Skies also begin to clear again Sunday, which is also a big day nation-wide for holiday travel, and cooperative travel weather is the expected trend for most of the country.
Overall, the forecast for next week is temperatures near to slightly above average, with no significant snow or rain chances in the forecast until possibly the first weekend of December.
Have a fabulous holiday weekend!
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.