Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Windy and colder Sunday; best flake chance in far northern Minnesota

Travel weather looks good this week

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Nov. 20, 2021 in St. Paul
Ron Trenda/MPR News

Sunshine and light winds made outdoor activities enjoyable on Saturday. The high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 44 degrees, which is slightly above our average Nov. 20 high of 40.

Cooler temps are on tap for Sunday as a cold front swings through Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Sunday highs will be in the 30s in many areas, with 20s to the northwest:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Some spots in western Wisconsin will top 40 before temps begin to retreat.

It’ll feel colder than the air temp on Sunday, due to wind gusts of 30-40 mph:

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Sunday noon forecast wind gusts
National Weather Service

Forecast gusts are in knots, with 28 knots equal to 32.2 mph.

There is a gale watch for portions of Lake Superior from Sunday afternoon into early Monday:

URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Marquette MI 417 AM EST Sat Nov 20 2021 LSZ162-263-201730- /O.CON.KMQT.GL.A.0018.211121T1800Z-211122T1200Z/ Lake Superior west of a line from Saxon Harbor WI to Grand Portage MN beyond 5NM- Lake Superior from Saxon Harbor WI to Upper Entrance to Portage Canal MI 5NM off shore to the US/Canadian border including Isle Royale National Park- 417 AM EST Sat Nov 20 2021 /317 AM CST Sat Nov 20 2021/ ...GALE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 40 kt and waves 7 to 10 ft possible. * WHERE...Lake Superior west of a line from Saxon Harbor WI to Grand Portage MN beyond 5NM and Lake Superior from Saxon Harbor WI to Upper Entrance to Portage Canal MI 5NM off shore to the US/Canadian border including Isle Royale National Park. * WHEN...From Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. * IMPACTS...Strong winds can cause hazardous waves which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Mariners should consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and waves.

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

Sunday flake chance to the north

Northwestern Minnesota could see some light snow after midnight Saturday night, with that light snow chance spreading over portions of northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin later Saturday night and on Sunday.

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

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Simulated radar Sunday 1 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

Portions of central Minnesota could see a stray flurry Sunday morning.

Here’s the Sunday snow outlook for northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, from the Duluth NWS office:

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Sunday snow forecast for northern Minnesota
National Weather Service

Temperature trends

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 30s Monday, followed by upper 40s Tuesday and mid 40s on Wednesday. We’ll see a high of just 30 degrees on Thanksgiving, followed by lower 30s on Friday.

No big storms are showing up on the weather maps this week, so Thanksgiving travel still looks good.

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.