Milder temps into next week; rain-snow showers possible Monday
Updated snow depth map for Minnesota
Yes, it was cold enough for me on Friday.
The Friday morning low temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 13 degrees below zero. It was the coldest official Twin Cities temperature since 12 degrees below zero on Dec. 23.
Much of northern Minnesota saw lows in the 20s below zero Friday morning, with 30s below zero in a few spots, including International Falls on the Canadian border and Cook in Minnesota’s Arrowhead.
Friday afternoon highs reached the single digits below zero in much of northern Minnesota and highs were in the single digits above zero in the metro area and much of southern Minnesota.
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South-southeasterly breezes will allow temperatures to slowly rise overnight into Saturday.
Temperature trends
The Twin Cities metro area saw high temps in the single digits above zero last weekend. Much milder weather is on tap for this weekend.
Saturday high temperatures will reach the 30s in much of western and southern Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro area and portions of western Wisconsin:
Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees this time of year.
Low temps late Saturday night and early Sunday morning will range from 20s in southern and central Minnesota to single digits in the far north:
Sunday highs will be in the lower 30s across the southern third of Minnesota, with 20s to the north:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 30s on Monday, followed by lower 30s Tuesday, then upper 30s Wednesday and Thursday and mid-30s on Friday.
Temperatures may be a bit above normal next weekend and into the following week, according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center:
Mainly dry this weekend
Parts of northeastern Minnesota could see a few flurries Friday evening and overnight.
Far northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin will have a chance of scattered light snow showers anytime from late Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from noon Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday:
You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.
Some forecast models show a chance of rain showers and snow showers Monday afternoon and Monday evening in southern and central Minnesota plus parts of western Wisconsin. We’ll have more on that in the coming days.
Plenty of snow cover for winter fun
If your weekend plans include sledding, cross-country skiing or snowboarding, the weekly snow depth map from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shows plenty of snow on the ground across most of Minnesota.
The official Twin Cities snow depth at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is 10 inches right now. Some spots in southern Scott County, in the southwest metro area, have more than 15 inches of snow cover.
The purple shaded areas from Pine County through northeastern Minnesota have snow depths of 18 inches or more. The light-purple shaded areas in northeastern Minnesota have 24 to 30 inches of snow cover.
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. Saturday and Sunday.