50s on tap for Thursday; 30s return this weekend
Snow chance in some areas Saturday
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It wasn’t sandal weather Wednesday afternoon, but temperatures were well above normal.
The Wednesday high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 47 degrees. That was 15 degrees warmer than the average Dec. 6 Twin Cities high temp of 32 degrees.
Highs in the 50s were tallied across much of west-central and southwestern Minnesota Wednesday. A few spots in south-central Minnesota also topped 50 degrees. Highs of 60 degrees or warmer were reported in several Minnesota locations, including Canby, Granite Falls, Appleton and Madison.
Temperature trends
Sunshine and southwesterly breezes will lead to highs in the 50s Thursday afternoon across most of the southern half of Minnesota:
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Some spots in the southwest could top 60 degrees.
The Twin Cities record high for Dec. 7 is 54 degrees, set in 1939. That record could be tied or broken Thursday afternoon.
A cold front will gradually move through Minnesota on Friday, but it will arrive too late to prevent 40s in central and southern Minnesota:
There will still be some lower 50s in the far south.
Saturday high temps will be mainly in the 30s, with 20s in far northern Minnesota:
Central and southern Minnesota will also see Sunday highs in the 30s:
Rain/snow chance far north on Friday
Thursday looks dry in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A low pressure system could spin a mix of rain showers and snow showers into parts of northwestern and north-central Minnesota on Friday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from noon Thursday to 9 p.m. on Friday:
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.
Saturday flake chances
Parts of Wisconsin and eastern Iowa could see several inches of snow on Saturday, with light snow possible in southeastern Minnesota. Check forecast updates. A more northerly track of that Saturday system would bring a chance of rain showers and snow showers into the Twin Cities metro area.
Weather nugget
The warmest temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last December was 39 degrees, on Dec. 2.