Records fell on Sunday; temps closer to normal this week
Much less wind on Monday
The Sunday high temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 74 degrees.
This set a new Twin Cities record for the earliest in the year that the temperature has reached 70 degrees or warmer. The previous record was March 5 of 2000. Twin Cities weather data goes back to 1872.
Of course, the high of 74 also set a new Twin Cities high temperature record for March 3, breaking the previous record of 65 degrees which was set in 1905.
Other March 3 high temperature records set on Sunday included 70 at St. Cloud, 72 at Rochester and 70 at Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
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According to a note received Sunday afternoon from Dr. Mark Seeley, Austin and Hokah Minnesota reached 75 degrees Sunday afternoon, setting a new statewide high temperature record for March 3. Additional high temperature reports from Sunday could still arrive today.
Wildfire smoke plume
Minnesota was buffetted by strong winds on Sunday.
A wildfire in Waseca County sent out a smoke plume that spread northward Sunday afternoon and was detected by NWS radar:
“Today” in the graphic referred to Sunday. The winds shifted by Sunday evening.
Additional information on the wildfire can be found here.
Precipitation outlook
Much of western, central and northern Minnesota will see some rainshowers at times Sunday evening. Parts of northwestern Minnesota could see a mix of rain and snow. An isolated rain shower is possible elsewhere in Minnesota Sunday evening.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continued in portions of western Wisconsin Sunday evening.
On Monday, parts of southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see some rainshowers at times. It may be mixed with a few snowflakes.
The Twin Cities metro area could see a few rain showers and/or snow showers Monday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 3 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Monday:
Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D.
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.
Temperature trends
The average Twin Cities high temperature is 36 degrees on March 4. Metro area highs will be in the upper 40s on Monday.
Monday high temps will range from 20s in far northwestern Minnesota to upper 40s in the southeast:
Tuesday highs will show a similar pattern:
Twin cities metro area highs are projected to be in the lower 50s on wednesda, followed by upper 40s Thursday then lower 40s Friday. Metro area high will probably stay in the 40s next weekend.
No big cold snaps are in sight. The March 11 to March 17 temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows above-normal temperatures in Minnesota and Wisconsin:
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.