Classic winter weekend; Colder temperatures, spotty snow showers Saturday

It’s a classic winter weekend ahead Minnesota. A blustery northwest wind kicks in Saturday and scattered snow showers will fly around Minnesota.

So far this meteorological winter, we’ve endured a cold December with temperatures 3.7 degrees below normal. January has been around 5 degrees milder than normal so far.

This weekend we revert to the norm. Highs Saturday will feel wintry on gusty northwest winds.

Scattered snow showers will leave a snowy dusting in some areas.

On the map below, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s FV3 model shows spotty snow showers overnight into early Saturday.

Sunday brings the sunnier, calmer day of the weekend. Highs will run in the 20s with some 30s returning to southwestern Minnesota.

Thaw again early next week

We’re having a hard time keeping cold air around so far this month. Another Pacific air mass brings another brief thaw to Minnesota next Monday and Tuesday. Highs will reach the 40s again in the southwest early next week.

Then temperatures will gradually fall closer to normal later next week. The normal high and low temperatures for the Twin Cities next week are 23 and 9 degrees.

Arctic outbreak next weekend?

I’m still tracking a likely arctic outbreak as we head toward the weekend of Jan. 17-18. NOAA’s Global Forecast System and other models continue to break off a chunk of arctic air and send it south into the Upper Midwest late next week.

The eventual magnitude of the subzero air mass remains to be seen, but overnight lows below zero look likely for much of Minnesota by next weekend.

Stay tuned.