Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

More rain and some snow on the way

Twin Cities snowflakes possible Saturday; weekend highs in the 30s

Snowfall projection
Snowfall projection for northwestern Minnesota
Grand Forks National Weather Service office

Accumulating snow is likely for the first time this fall season in parts of Minnesota. Plowable snow is likely for northwestern Minnesota. A few models suggest possible light accumulating snow in the Twin Cities by Saturday evening.

More rain first

Our next weather system pushes into Minnesota with more rain again Wednesday night into Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model shows the evolution of rain waves across most of Minnesota, but the precipitation depicted as bright blue in northwestern Minnesota and North Dakota is in the form of snow.

The forecast model loop below runs between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Friday.

NOAA NAM 3 km model
North American Mesoscale 3 km model between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 p.m. Friday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Tropical Tidbits

NOAA’s NAM 3 km model lays out around one-half to 1 inch of rainfall across southern Minnesota through Friday.

NOAA NAM 3 km model precipitation output
North American Mesoscale 3 km model precipitation output forecast
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather

Accumulating snow through Friday for NW Minnesota

Most forecast models crank out accumulating snowfall for far northwest Minnesota through Friday.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model below lays out anywhere from around 6 inches to as much as a foot of potential snowfall in the far northwestern corner of Minnesota around Hallock. Here’s the European model snowfall output through Friday:

European model (ECMWF) snowfall output 2
Snowfall output forecast through Friday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

Twin Cities flakes Saturday?

Forecast models suggest a weak follow-on system Saturday that may graze southern Minnesota with some lighter snow.

The American and Canadian models suggest the snow would stay mainly south of the Twin Cities, but the usually trusty European model keeps snow across the Twin Cities.

European model (ECMWF)
European model output for 7 p.m. Saturday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

The European model lays out minor accumulating snow for the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota on Saturday:

European model (ECMWF) snowfall output
Snowfall output forecast through Saturday evening
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

The biggest shock this weekend may come from plummeting temperatures. Highs will not climb out of the 30s this weekend across most of Minnesota!

Forecast high temperatures Saturday
Forecast high temperatures Saturday
NOAA

Stay warm and stay tuned.