Mild temperatures and weak weather impulses

Temperatures in much of central and southern Minnesota remained in the 30s overnight, courtesy of a mild air mass and a blanket of clouds.

The normal low temperature for the Twin Cities today would be 18. Only the northwestern corner of the state is quite chilly. Roseau dropped to 2 below zero at 7 a.m., but that is about as far as that cold air will progress.

Light snow today

A weather impulse from the southwest continues to generate areas of light snow this morning from west central Minnesota to the Arrowhead. Precipitation has been streaming northeastward from Ortonville to Mille Lacs to Duluth and the North Shore.

Accumulations of a few inches are likely northeast of Duluth. A wintry mix is expected to break out across parts of northwestern Wisconsin.

South of this band, a few sprinkles are possible today in and around the Twin Cities area.

Highs today will range from the mid 20s in the northwest corner to the low and mid 40s in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.

Meanwhile, in an acknowledgement that meteorological spring will begin tomorrow, the Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a large area of enhanced risk for severe storms (orange area below) today from Arkansas to Illinois and Indiana.

Alberta clipper will arrive tonight

The next weak weather system will approach from the northwest tonight. Some accumulating snow is likely across mainly southern Minnesota later tonight and on Wednesday. The Twin Cities might receive a dusting of snow at most while a couple inches could fall south of the metro area, including Rochester.

Thursday

A weaker Alberta clipper should arrive on Thursday with a bit of light snow for southern Minnesota. Snowfall amounts are unlikely to be impressive.

Weekend warmup

Mild temperatures look like a relatively-sure thing for the weekend. Highs both Saturday and Sunday are likely to climb into the low to mid 50s across the Twin Cities metro area and much of southern Minnesota. Even much of northern Minnesota such as Duluth, Grand Rapids, International Falls and Ely should see readings into the 40s.