Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

30s return Sunday afternoon; Potential for rain, ice and snow Sunday night and Monday

Winter storm watch (for ice) starts late Sunday night in portions of Wisconsin

It was a sun-splashed Saturday. Temps were a bit cooler than average, but the weather cooperated with many outdoor plans. We’ll probably be warmer than normal Sunday afternoon.

The Saturday afternoon high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 26 degrees. That’s well shy of the Twin Cities average Feb. 25 high temp, which is 32 degrees.

Sunday afternoon highs will be in the 30s across southern and central Minnesota plus western Wisconsin:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Most of northern Minnesota will have Sunday highs in the 20s.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 30s on Monday, then mid 30s Tuesday and around 30 on Wednesday, followed by highs in the upper 20s Thursday and lower 30s on Friday.

Rain, ice and snow Sunday night and Monday

A low pressure system will spread precipitation into southern and eastern Minnesota and much of Wisconsin Sunday night, with precipitation continuing on Monday.

The precipitation will begin as rain in many areas, with freezing rain at locations that have cold enough surface temperatures. Some locations will see a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow. Periods of rain, freezing rain and snow transition to mainly snow as colder air arrives at some point on Monday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Sunday to 9 p.m. Monday:

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Simulated radar for 6 p.m. Sunday to 9 p.m. Monday
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

The potential for substantial ice accumulation late Sunday night and Monday is highest in portions of Wisconsin:

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Potential ice accumulation Sunday night and Monday
National Weather Service

A winter storm watch (for icing) begins at midnight Sunday night and continues into Monday for several Wisconsin counties:

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Winter storm watch (blue) begins at midnight Sunday night
National Weather Service

Here are details of the winter storm watch in St. Croix County, Polk County and Eau Claire County:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 239 PM CST Sat Feb 25 2023 WIZ014-023-025-028-260830- /O.NEW.KMPX.WS.A.0004.230227T0600Z-230227T1500Z/ Polk-St. Croix-Dunn-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Osceola, Hudson, Menomonie, and Eau Claire 239 PM CST Sat Feb 25 2023 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Heavy freezing rain possible. Total ice accumulations of around one quarter of an inch possible. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Polk, St. Croix, Dunn and Eau Claire Counties. * WHEN...From late Sunday night through early Monday morning. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.

Portions of the Twin Cities metro area will probably see at least some icing too, so check forecast updates.

Accumulating snow and freezing rain are possible in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin on Monday:

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Snow and ice potential for Monday
National Weather Service

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

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. Saturday and Sunday.