Sunday snow; mild start to the week

It’s not unusual to see some snow as milder air moves in this time of year. Periods of snow will continue this Sunday afternoon across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin, then taper off from west to east this evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern for Sunday afternoon and evening:

It may snow in a few spots that look dry in the forecast loop, but the general snow pattern looks appropriate for this system.

The Twin Cities metro area could see around one inch of snow, with a bit more than one inch possible in the far south metro. Some 3 to 4 inch snow totals are possible in far southern Minnesota, especially along and south of the I-90 corridor. A winter weather advisory continues until 6 p.m. today for most of the Minnesota counties along the Iowa border.

Here is the NWS depiction of the snow forecast and the winter weather advisory:

The winter weather advisory (shaded blue in the left-side image) in far southern Minnesota continues until 6 p.m.:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 630 AM CST Sun Feb 21 2021 ...ACCUMULATING SNOW EXPECTED OVER FAR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON... .A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for today for Faribault, Freeborn and Martin Counties in southern Minnesota. Around 3 inches of snow will fall near the Interstate 90 corridor with lesser amounts going north. Heavier snowfall amounts will occur along the Iowa border and southeast of Albert Lea. Light snow will spread northeast across south central Minnesota through the afternoon before tapering off by this evening. MNZ091>093-220000- /O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0006.000000T0000Z-210222T0000Z/ Martin-Faribault-Freeborn- Including the cities of Fairmont, Blue Earth, and Albert Lea 630 AM CST Sun Feb 21 2021 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Snow. Total snow accumulations of around 3 inches. Accumulations may reach 4 inches southeast of Albert Lea. * WHERE...Faribault, Freeborn and Martin Counties. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Minnesota road conditions can be found here. Wisconsin road conditions can be found here.

Temperature trends

Most of Minnesota plus western Wisconsin will see Sunday afternoon highs of 30 degrees or higher. Northeastern Minnesota may top out in the 20s.

Monday highs reach 40 degrees or higher in many areas:

Far northern Minnesota and much of western Wisconsin may top out in the 30s.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 40s Monday and Tuesday, followed by mid 30s Wednesday, around 30 on Thursday and mid 30s Friday.

Average high temps continue to climb

If you’re already thinking about spring-time activities, you probably aren’t alone.

Here’s a look at how our high temps rise as we approach Spring. Our average Twin Cities high temp is 31 on Feb. 21. One month from now, on March 21, our average high is 44 degrees. That average Twin Cities high temp rises to 61 degrees by April 21 and to 71 degrees by May 21.

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.