March is fourth snowiest month in the Twin Cities
Snow chances Thursday and next weekend
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You’ll be hearing about snow opportunities later this week. Snow in March isn’t that unusual.
A look at March snow in the Twin Cities
So far this March, there hasn’t been measurable snow at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
In the previous five years, Twin Cities March snow totals have ranged from 1.3 inches in 2020 to 15.5 inches in 2023:
Climate normals are typically for a 30-year period and they are updated every 10 years. The most recent snowfall normals for the Twin Cities show 8.2 inches in March:
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Over the period from 1991 through 2020, March is the fourth snowiest month of the year in the Twin Cities. December is the Twin Cities snowiest month, followed by January and then February.
The official Twin Cities snowfall tally is just 14.3 inches this snow season, but we could add to that total later this week and this coming weekend.
Quiet weather Monday and Tuesday
Monday and Tuesday look dry across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A few spots in far northern Minnesota could see a passing snow shower Monday night or Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday:
You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network.
Snow opportunities
Parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will probably see some periods of snow Thursday and Thursday evening. Models don’t agree on the coverage…one model shows a swath of snow across the southern half of Minnesota Thursday afternoon and evening, another model shifts the Thursday snow a bit to the north.
A bigger swath of snow could spread into Minnesota and Wisconsin next weekend. The track of that system will become clearer later this week. Some areas could see snow while others see rain or a mix. Check forecast updates as we get closer to the weekend.
Temperature trends
The Sunday high temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 30 degrees. That was 12 degrees cooler than the average Twin Cities high on March 17.
Monday highs will be mainly in the 30s, with some 40s in far western Minnesota:
Tuesday will be the warmest day this week, with lower 50s in far southern Minnesota and mainly 40s in central Minnesota with 30s in the far north:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 50 degrees on Tuesday, followed by mid 30s Wednesday, lower 30s Thursday and then upper 30s on Friday.
Weather nugget
The coldest St. Patrick’s Day in Twin Cities weather records was in 1941, with a low of 8 below zero and a high temp of 8 above zero.
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.