Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Next rainfall is likely Wednesday

Parts of Minnesota could see an up to 1 inch of rain this week

Twin Cities area forecast at a glance
Twin Cities area forecast at a glance
Twin Cities National Weather Service office

We’re on storm watch in the Weather Lab this week.

It’s the season when we watch for snow across Minnesota. Our average first inch of snowfall in the Twin Cities is Nov. 15, which is Friday. The Twin Cities picked up just two-tenths of an inch of snow on Halloween. And no snowflakes have been recorded yet in the Fargo-Moorhead area through Grand Forks, N.D., in the Red River Valley.

But this week’s system looks warm enough for all rain across most of Minnesota.

Our brisk but sunny Monday gives way to an equally sunny Tuesday. Winds will shift into the south on Tuesday and gust to 25 mph in the afternoon. Temperatures will be about the same as we saw Monday with highs mainly in the 40s Tuesday.

Wednesday rain

We’re keeping an eye on a system that will bring rain to Minnesota on Wednesday. It’s not super strong, but it will bring widespread showers.

On the map below, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the system pushing rain showers across Minnesota between midnight Wednesday and midnight Thursday.

NOAA GFS model
Global Forecast System model between midnight Wednesday and midnight Thursday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

Forecast models vary on rainfall totals right now. NOAA’s Global Forecast System is among the most aggressive with up to an inch of rain mainly west of the Twin Cities.

NOAA GFS precipitation output
Global Forecast System model precipitation output this week
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather

Let’s see how much moisture the models grab for Tuesday’s model runs.

The rest of the week looks nice after Wednesday. We’ll enjoy plenty of sunshine Thursday through Saturday.

Highs will warm into the 50s again by Friday and Saturday after 40s on Thursday.

Forecast high temperatures Friday
Forecast high temperatures Friday
NOAA

So far in November, temperatures are running 6.3 degrees warmer than normal in the Twin Cities. Eight of 11 months this year have been warmer than normal in Minnesota.