Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Clipper drops light snow Tuesday night; 60s south by Saturday

Snowy dusting across Minnesota into early Wednesday; much milder temps ahead

Snowfall projection for Minnesota
Snowfall projection for Minnesota
Twin Cities National Weather Service office

It’s another snowy dusting for much of Minnesota Tuesday night into the wee hours of Wednesday.

On the map below, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model shows the snow band sliding across eastern Minnesota into Wisconsin between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.

NOAA NAM 3 km model
North American Mesoscale 3 km model between 7 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

A warmer layer of air pushing in aloft may produce a little freezing drizzle as the system passes through. Temperatures will rise overnight into the 20s south as milder Pacific air begins to seep into Minnesota.

Milder days ahead

Our weather pattern changes for the milder the rest of this week across Minnesota. Look for a mix of sunshine and a few cloudy intervals through the upcoming weekend.

We’ll be melting snow in the afternoons, so foggy mornings are likely as extra moisture condenses in the atmosphere overnight from snow melt. Highs will like ease into the 40s across much of Minnesota Wednesday and Thursday.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
NOAA

How warm we get each afternoon will depend on how quickly the fog patches burn off each day. More sun equals warmer afternoons this week. By Friday, I think we’ll have melted enough snow to see temperatures soar into the 50s in many areas and even 60s in the southwest.

Forecast high temperatures Friday
Forecast high temperatures Friday
NOAA

Saturday: Warmest day in 4 months?

Our milder Pacific flow peaks Saturday across the Upper Midwest. If we can burn off the fog early Saturday, temperatures will soar especially across southern Minnesota.

It all depends on sunshine, but if we get sun early and often Saturday models are pushing temperature to 70 degrees in the southwestern part of Minnesota. On the map below, check out the 80s across Nebraska in the upstream air mass!

Forecast high temperatures Saturday
Forecast high temperatures Saturday
NOAA

I expect lots of bare ground with just a few snow plow piles left by the weekend.

Stay tuned.