Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Record warmth and rainy this Christmas holiday

Record high likely on Christmas Eve. An inch of rain for many.

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output
European model (ECMWF) precipitation output.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

Meteorologists call it warm advection.

That’s the physical process that transfers heat from one part of the planet to another. In this case, it’s persistent southerly winds that will send temperatures back into the 50s this Christmas holiday weekend.

A little perspective. We’re already running 9 degrees warmer than average so far this December in the Twin Cities. The average high and low are now 27 and 13 degrees.

Expect clouds, drizzle, and some fog through Friday around most of Minnesota. Highs will return to the 40s in the south once again Friday.

Forecast high temperatures Friday
Forecast high temperatures Friday.
NOAA

Saturday will likely be dry across most of Minnesota. Highs will hit 50 degrees again from the Twin Cities south and west.

Forecast high temperatures Saturday
Forecast high temperatures Saturday.
NOAA

Christmas Eve brings likely record highs for most of southern Minnesota. The record high in the Twin Cities Sunday is 46 degrees set in 1957. We’ll easily make 50 degrees on Sunday.

Forecast high temperatures Sunday
Forecast high temperatures Sunday.
NOAA

Christmas brings cooler but still well-above-normal temperatures.

Forecast high temperatures Christmas Day
Forecast high temperatures Christmas Day.
NOAA

Christmas Rain

A major storm system is pounding Los Angeles with multi-inch rainfall Thursday.

That same system will push rain into Minnesota starting Christmas Eve. The rain will linger through parts of Christmas Day. NOAA’s GFS model shows the likely progressions of rain and some snow to the west and north. A follow-on system on Tuesday could produce light snow around the Twin Cities.

NOAA GFS model
NOAA GFS model Sunday through Tuesday.
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Forecast models differ on rain and snowfall totals. Most suggest 1 to 2 inches of rainfall for southern Minnesota.

European model (ECMWF) precipitation output
European model (ECMWF) precipitation output.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

Forecast models also crank out come snow for South Dakota, and lesser totals for northern Minnesota.

European model (ECMWF) snowfall output
European model (ECMWF) snowfall output.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

Stay tuned.