Warmer than normal for several days; rain possible Thursday

Our unusual warmth continues today and for several more days.

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 25 degrees on Feb. 3. The metro area will see highs around 40 later this afternoon. A few spots in the metro area could reach the lower 40s.

Much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Saturday afternoon highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Sunday high temps will be mainly in the 40s:

Many areas will have Monday highs in the 40s, with a few spots in southwestern Minnesota topping 50:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by upper 40s Thursday and lower 40s on Friday.

Fog in some areas

Portions of western Minnesota have lingering fog today. The dense fog advisory in parts of southwestern Minnesota has been extended to 3 p.m. this Saturday:

Additional dense fog advisories may be needed Saturday evening into early Sunday.

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

Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D.

No storms in sight for Minnesota

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have a rain-free weekend. We aren’t expecting any snow either.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Saturday to 9 p.m. Sunday:

The start of the coming week looks dry too. Minnesota and western Wisconsin could see some rain showers at times on Thursday and into Friday. Parts of northern Minnesota could see some flakes mix with the rain showers on Friday.

California braces for heavy rain and strong winds

A strong low pressure system is headed toward California. It’s expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds to California, along with heavy mountain snow.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Saturday evening through Monday afternoon:

Here’s the timing of heaviest rains in southern California:

Here are the potential effects of this storm:

Here’s the wind and surf forecast for southern California:

Weather nugget

Thirty-year Twin Cities snowfall averages show 9.5 inches in February, 8.2 inches in March and 3.5 inches in April. That’s about 21 inches of average snowafall for the rest of the snow season.

Of course, this hasn’t been anything like a typical snow season so far. There aren’t any signs of a big snowstorm in the next 10 days.  

Programming note

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.