Monday a.m. freezing fog chance, then mild; shot at 50 degrees Wednesday
Temps retreat late in the week
Minnesota and western Wisconsin enjoyed a very nice December afternoon, which was capped off with a beautiful sunset.
The Sunday high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 36 degrees, which is 6 degrees warmer than the average Dec. 12 high in the Twin Cities. Much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin had highs in the 30s, with a few spots in west-central Minnesota topping 40 degrees.
Fog/freezing fog possible
Winds will lighten up late Sunday night. The light winds will allow the temp to drop to the dew point, with fog developing. Some areas of fog and freezing fog are possible in Minnesota and western Wisconsin late Sunday night into Monday morning. Check forecast updates.
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Temperature trends
Monday highs will be mainly in the 30s:
Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could reach the upper 30s Monday and Tuesday. The metro area will top out in the upper 40s to around 50 on Wednesday. Far southern Minnesota will have many Wednesday highs in the 50s, and a few spots in far southeastern Minnesota could top 60 degrees.
A cold front will swing through Minnesota Wednesday night. The Thursday high temp in the Twin Cities may be around 40 degrees (at 1 a.m. or so), with temps falling into the 20s for the daylight hours of Thursday. Metro highs will be in the mid 20s on Friday.
Wednesday rain and snow potential
A strong low pressure system is expected to move through Minnesota Wednesday afternoon and evening. NOAA’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the track of the low and the potential precipitation pattern from noon Wednesday through Wednesday evening:
Green indicates potential rain areas, with blue indicating potential snow to the north and northwest by late Wednesday.
At this point, it looks like the Twin Cities metro area will have a chance of rain showers Wednesday afternoon, followed by a good chance for periods of rain Wednesday evening and overnight Wednesday night. There could even be a clap of thunder. There will be a chance of rain or snow showers in the metro area late Wednesday night into early Thursday.
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
Last 50?
We have a shot at 50 degrees Wednesday afternoon in the Twin Cities. The last 50 or warmer temp at MSP airport was on Dec. 2:
The temp has reached 40 degrees or warmer only once in the past 9 days at MSP airport. Dec. 12 isn’t listed on the table above because the current day ends at midnight.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.