Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Much cooler Monday; warming midweek

The weekend certainly brought balmy weather to many of us. The Twin Cities reached a wind-blown high temperature of 61 on Sunday. I spotted crocus and tulip shoots beginning to poke up through the leftover leaf litter in our southside garden.

Meanwhile, more than a foot of snow remains on the ground across northern Minnesota. The Duluth National Weather Service Office reported a snow depth of 21 inches on Sunday.

We’ve been cold-fronted

Sadly, a cold front sliced southeastward across Minnesota Sunday night and plowed the spring-like temperatures out of the state.

Monday will be a different story. As of 7 a.m., the Twin Cities’ temperature is 34 while Hallock up in the northwest is a brisk 3 degrees.

Canadian air will yield high temperatures in the seasonable 30s for most of Minnesota while 20s will be on the menu for much of the northwest. Some parts way in the northwest corner, such as around Hallock, might not warm out of the upper teens. The Twin Cities area should have highs around 39 with a gusty breeze from the northwest.

High temperature forecast for the Twin Cities
High temperature forecast for the Twin Cities
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Split flow (usually) spares us

Atmospheric split flow means that one storm track passes by to our south while a weaker storm track passes to our north across Canada.

On Monday, a large storm system will spread rain from the middle Mississippi Valley to the central Great Lakes. Much of Iowa and southern and eastern Wisconsin will become soggy. Some rain and maybe flurries are likely to brush southeastern Minnesota.

Forecast weather map for Monday and Monday night
Forecast weather map for Monday and Monday night
NOAA Weather Prediction Center

A weak ripple will kick off rain and a little wet snow across mainly central and southern Minnesota Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night. Accumulations up to around half an inch are possible.

Gradually warmer toward midweek

A warming trend beginning on Tuesday will peak on Thursday when parts of central to southern Minnesota might touch the low 50s.

Forecast of mild high temperatures for Thursday
Forecast of mild high temperatures for Thursday
NOAA Weather Prediction Center

That push of milder air will also come with the chance of rain on Thursday.

Then cooler toward the weekend, maybe with snow

Cooler air will follow for Friday, through the weekend and into next week.

Look for the chance of snow, possibly mixed with rain, next weekend.