Mild Friday, record 100 days of sub-zero days up north this winter?

This week is good tonic for the Minnesota weather psyche.

Our weather winning streak of milder days reaches lucky 7 Friday. Here's a look at the kinder and gentler numbers for Friday afternoon across the Upper Midwest.

A few stray showers may ride in early Friday. The better chance of any meaningful rain rolls in overnight Friday night into early Saturday morning.

Here's the loop of the next low pressure wave riding in for Saturday.

Unfortunately for dry Minnesota, the system gets it's act together as it moves east. Chicago and Madison, Wis., may get a good soaking with 1 to 3 inches of rain possible over the next several days.

Mild through Saturday then much colder

Springtime in Minnesota? A sort of weather foxtrot that's usually two steps forward, one step back.

Our milder than average streak continues through Saturday before the next chilly Canadian front blows in. With drought creeping back into Minnesota we're talking about an opportunity for showers Saturday instead of a chance.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model suggests a warm up toward 60 degrees again late next week as we approach Easter Weekend.

Seeley: Record 100 days of sub-zero up North?

You can always hear University of Minnesota climate guru Mark Seeley on Morning Edition on MPR News in the 6 a.m. hour Friday morning.

This preview he passed along today caught my eye in a big way -- 100 days at or below zero up north this winter looks like a new record. I have even more respect for the hearty Minnesotans who survived this winter in towns like Embarrass and Babbitt.

Here's a preview of this week's Weather Talk.

Topic:  A new record for sub-zero temperatures

You may recall that earlier this winter an MPR listener asked me if there had ever been a heating season in Minnesota history when a weather observer reported 100 days or more of sub-zero F low temperatures.

The most I could find were 97 days of sub-zero F readings at Fort Ripley in the winter of 1874-1875 and at St Vincent in the winter of 1887-1888. By a recent count of sub-zero F low temperature readings reported this heating season (2013-2014) some observers have now reached 100  days or more.

Embarrass reports 100 days exactly with sub-zero F low temperatures, Babbitt reports 102 days, and Kabetogama on the door step of Voyageurs National Park reports 104 days of such temperatures.  I think these numbers are truly a marker of how persistently cold this past winter has been.

Snowy disappearing act

The mild temps this week have done a number on snow cover in Minnesota. The back edge is working north through northern Minnesota. here's the latest analysis from NOAA's National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center.

Enjoy a great Friday!