Mild weekend; snow chance late Wednesday and on Thursday
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I'll bet that a lot of kids will be using their sleds and snowboards this weekend, especially from the Twin Cities metro area northward.
Much of central and northern Minnesota received some fresh snow on Friday, and temps will be mild this weekend.
The Friday evening snowfall total was seven-tenths of an inch at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. That brings our official Twin Cities snow total to 5 inches for the current snow season.
We're running 11 inches below our average snowfall total for this point in our Twin Cities snow season.
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But there's still plenty of winter ahead!
Minnesota snow cover
There are two to three inches of snow cover in much of the Twin Cities metro area right now.
The Minnesota State Climatology Office's Thursday snow depth map indicated more than 4 inches of snow on the ground over most of northern Minnesota, and some areas have over 8 inches on the ground:
Of course, the map does not include Friday's snowfall.
Temperature trends
Saturday highs are expected to range from the lower 40s in southwestern Minnesota to the upper teens in the far northeast.
Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could top 30 degrees.
Our average high is 27 degrees this time of the year in the Twin Cities.
Much of Minnesota will reach the 30s on Sunday:
The far north could see upper 20s.
Monday is expected to be the warmest day of the coming week, with 40s southwest and mostly 30s elsewhere:
Twin Cities metro area highs could reach the mid 30s on Tuesday, then dip to the lower 30s on Wednesday. Thursday will feature highs in the 20s, and we might only see 20 on Friday.
Next weekend looks chilly, with metro area highs in the teens.
Cold for Christmas
Colder than normal temps linger through Christmas Day, and probably for few days beyond Christmas.
The Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service shows a high probability of below normal temperatures for Minnesota during the period from Dec. 23 through Dec. 29:
Snow chances
North-central and northeastern Minnesota will see some periods of light snow this Saturday and Saturday evening.
There could even be a bit of freezing drizzle at times.
Northern Minnesota will also see some snow Monday afternoon and early Monday evening.
Our attention then turns to Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning, when snow could spread over much of Minnesota.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential snow pattern Wednesday through Thursday:
The forecast models don't yet agree on snow amounts:
Models are likely to converge a bit as we get closer to Wednesday.
Check forecast updates, especially if you are traveling in Minnesota or Wisconsin anytime from late Wednesday through Thursday.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.