Classic winter weekend; milder 30s likely next week

Thursday brought another subzero start to Minnesota.

The temperature bottomed out at minus 3 degrees in the Twin Cities Thursday morning. That is our 14th subzero morning in the Twin Cities this winter. Our seasonal average is 22 days.

Here are some select minimum temperatures from around Minnesota Thursday morning:

• Cotton, minus 29 degrees

• Orr/Tower, minus 21 degrees

• International Falls, minus 16 degrees

• Brainerd area, minus 11 degrees

• Duluth, Moorhead, minus 9 degrees

• St. Cloud, minus 7 degrees

• Redwood Falls, minus 4 degrees

• Rochester, minus 1 degree

Temperatures Thursday afternoon recovered into the teens across southern Minnesota with single digits north.

Friday brings a weak weather system that will produce snow showers, especially in northern Minnesota. Much of northern Minnesota will see 1 to 2 inches of snow through Saturday.

We still can’t buy decent accumulations in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, but you’ll see a few snowflakes flying around the Twin Cites at times.

Highs Friday will run in the teens north to 20s south.

The weekend brings similar temperature numbers. Our normal high and low temperatures for the Twin Cities this weekend are 24 degrees and 8 degrees.

Thaw next week?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model has eased off the magnitude of our possible January thaw next week. It suggests highs in the low to mid-30s next Monday into Wednesday.

But the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model is suggesting five days at or above the thawing point next week. The European model cranks out temperatures around 40 degrees just south of the Twin Cities next Wednesday:

There are signs we may see better chances for snow as we move into the first week of February.

Stay tuned.