Cooler but still well above normal this week

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The first low-pressure system is already causing patchy snow in parts of southern and central Minnesota at midday Thursday. Snow coverage will expand Thursday evening and the snow will continue in many areas overnight Thursday night, ending Friday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Thursday to noon on Friday:

NOAA’s Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere (FV3) model shows a similar precipitation pattern for the same time period:

Here are forecast snow amounts for Thursday into Friday morning:

A winter weather advisory is posted for much of Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday:

The advisory also extends a bit to the northwest to include Detroit Lakes and Moorhead.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News 

Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the 

Heavier snow and stronger winds are expected with a storm system that arrives Sunday and lingers into Monday and early Tuesday.

Some areas will see 6 inches or more of snow from Sunday into Tuesday:

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some double-digit snow totals Sunday through late Monday.

Monitor updates on the Sunday-Monday storm, which could make travel very difficult or impossible in parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The eastern side of the storm could see rain or a wintry mix at times, which will affect snow totals.

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 45 degrees on March 23. Metro area highs will be in the 30s this Saturday.

Saturday afternoon high temps will be in the 20s in most of northern and west-central Minnesota, with 30s elsewhere:

Parts of far northern Minnesota will have Sunday highs in the 20s.

The water content of the snow that’s in our forecast will reduce wildfire danger and will help recharge the soil moisture.

 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:

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.  

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Many areas will see snow beginning Thursday afternoon or evening and continuing into early Friday. Heavier snow and strong winds are expected Sunday into Monday.

Snow coverage expands Thursday evening, overnight; heavier snow Sunday

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