Weekend weather: Gusty winds; coolest temps on Sunday
Northern Minnesota could see some flakes Saturday
It remains dry across Minnesota. Far southern Minnesota could see some rain showers at times Thursday.
Drought update
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows drought conditions in 74.74 percent of Minnesota, including the entire Twin Cities metro area:
The areas that are shaded beige are in moderate drought, with severe drought depicted by the orange shades which include parts of northern Minnesota and far southeastern Minnesota. Areas that are shaded yellow are abnormally dry but not yet in drought.
Much of Iowa and Wisconsin area also in drought right now, with extreme drought (red) in a large portion of eastern Iowa:
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The drought maps are released each Thursday morning and include precipitation up to Tuesday morning. Portions of Iowa, southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois are seeing some meaningful rainfall Thursday.
Saturday flake chance north
Northern Minnesota will have the best chance of occasional light snow showers on Saturday. Those light snow showers could be mixed with a little rain in a few spots.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Saturday:
Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin should see a dry Sunday.
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.
Weekend temps and winds
Gusty winds are expected this weekend, with the strongest winds on Saturday. Temps will feel Marchlike, with a lot of 30s and 40s.
The average Twin Cities high temperature is 42 degrees on March 16. Metro area highs could reach the mid to upper 40s this Saturday, with metro temps dropping a few degrees by late afternoon.
Northern Minnesota will see a lot of 30s Saturday afternoon. Here are forecast temps for 4 p.m. on Saturday:
Saturday afternoon wind gusts will be in the 30 to 40 mph range in much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:
Some spots could see gusts to 45 mph Saturday afternoon.
Sunday high temperatures will be in the 30s across southern and central Minnesota, with 20s to the north:
Sunday afternoon wind gusts will be between 20 and 32 mph in most areas:
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.