Milder temps Sunday; midweek storm to bring strong winds, more snow
Winter storm watch starts Tuesday across northern, central Minnesota
If you want one last look at our Friday-Friday night snowstorm, here’s the snowfall map:
That was plenty of wet snow to shovel and plow on Saturday!
Sunday precipitation chances?
Central Minnesota and parts of west-central Wisconsin could see spotty sprinkles or a wintry mix into early Sunday afternoon. The best chance of a wintry mix or periods of light snow this Sunday will be in the northern third of Minnesota and in parts of northwestern Wisconsin.
Accumulations are expected to be minor in the areas that do see some snow, but parts of far northern Cook County could see an inch or two of snow by Sunday evening.
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Temperature trends
The average Twin Cities high temp is 50 degrees this time of year. Sunday afternoon highs will be mainly in the upper 40s in the metro area, but a stray 50 is possible.
Sunday highs will range from the 30s in northwestern Minnesota and parts of west-central Minnesota to 50s in far southern Minnesota. Parts of northeastern Minnesota will also have highs in the 30s.
Monday highs will be in the 40s across much of eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with cooler temps in western and far northern Minnesota:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 40s on Tuesday. Metro area temps could be around 40 degrees early Wednesday morning, followed by falling temps through the afternoon.
Twin Cities metro highs are expected to be in the upper 30s Thursday and upper 40s on Friday.
Another winter storm
Computer models show a strong low-pressure system bringing precipitation to the Upper Midwest Tuesday into Wednesday.
The Twin Cities metro area, southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin could see mainly rain and embedded thunderstorms Tuesday and Tuesday evening, followed by a changeover to a wintry mix late Tuesday night and then over to mainly snow on Wednesday.
Much of northern Minnesota and portions of central Minnesota could see heavy snow and strong winds Tuesday and Wednesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Monday to 7 p.m. Wednesday:
Winter storm watches with various Tuesday start times cover northern Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota:
Here are some watch details:
The winter storm watch begins at 1 a.m. Tuesday in west-central Minnesota and portions of central Minnesota:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 453 AM CDT Sun Apr 2 2023 ...COMPLEX PROLONGED WINTER STORM TO BRING MULTIPLE PRECIPITATION TYPES AND POSSIBLE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... .A complex storm system developing over the Rockies will shift east into the Central Plains Tuesday then quickly move northeast into Minnesota Wednesday and through the Great Lakes Thursday. Precipitation will start as snow for much of the area Tuesday morning, transitioning to a wintry mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow during the day Tuesday for portions of western Minnesota during the day Tuesday, then changing back to all snow Tuesday night through Wednesday. Snow will be heavy at times Tuesday through Tuesday night for western MN, with snow totals well in excess of 6 inches and potentially as high as 12 inches. In addition, strong winds will develop Tuesday which will persist through Wednesday, potentially producing blizzard conditions over much of western MN and possibly into eastern MN. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for portions of western and central MN west of a line from Granite Falls to Saint Cloud to Milaca for the combination of heavy snow and possible blizzard conditions. Stay tuned to the National Weather Service for the latest forecasts and updates on this complex winter storm. MNZ043-044-049-050-057-058-021800- /O.NEW.KMPX.WS.A.0010.230404T0600Z-230406T0600Z/ Morrison-Mille Lacs-Stearns-Benton-Kandiyohi-Meeker- Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, St Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Willmar, and Litchfield 453 AM CDT Sun Apr 2 2023 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions possible. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze possible. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central and east central Minnesota. * WHEN...From late Monday night through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Prepare for possible blizzard conditions. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.
The winter storm watch begins Tuesday morning in northwestern Minnesota. Blizzard conditions may begin early Tuesday and then continue through much of Wednesday in northwestern Minnesota, with double-digit snow totals expected in many areas:
The deep snow cover will make drifting a serious problem:
Northeastern Minnesota will also see substantial snow from this storm:
Here are winter storm watch details for Duluth and surrounding areas:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 344 AM CDT Sun Apr 2 2023 MNZ020-021-037-022045- /O.NEW.KDLH.WS.A.0008.230404T1400Z-230406T1200Z/ Southern Lake-Southern Cook-Carlton and South St. Louis- Including the cities of Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and Duluth 344 AM CDT Sun Apr 2 2023 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Near-Blizzard to Blizzard conditions possible. Snowfall accumulations around or greater than 6 inches possible and ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch possible. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph. * WHERE...Southern Lake, Southern Cook and Carlton and South St. Louis Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation and the Fond du Lac Band. * WHEN...From Tuesday morning through Thursday morning. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Very strong winds could cause extensive damage to trees and power lines. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Prepare for possible blizzard conditions. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.
If the storm track shifts eastward, Twin Cities metro area snow amounts would increase, especially on the north and west sides of the metro area. Any metro snow accumulations would tend to be late Tuesday night and on Wednesday.
You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.
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.