Breezy and cooler Sunday; Tuesday will be the warmest day of the week

It was a windy Saturday afternoon, due to a strong low pressure system centered to the northeast of Lake Superior. The low pressure system will drift slowly away late Saturday night and Sunday, so winds won’t be as strong Sunday afternoon.

The peak Saturday wind gust at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 43 mph. St. Cloud reported a peak gust of 41 mph and Rochester saw a peak gust of 46 mph.

I saw reports of Saturday wind gusts over 40 mph in several Minnesota locations, including 47 mph in Redwood Falls, 46 mph in Windom, 45 mph in Morris and 44 mph in Baudette and Willmar. Wind gusts of 43 mph were reported Saturday in Marshall, Canby, Waseca, St. James and New Ulm.

Red flag warning

Vegetation is dry in many areas, so any fires that develop this evening could spread rapidly. A red flag warning continues for much of central and southern Minnesota until 8 p.m. this Saturday:

The red flag warning includes most of the Twin Cities metro area.

Here are details of the red flag warning:

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 218 PM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON... .Northwest winds will increase to around 25 mph and will occasionally gust to 35 to 40 mph this afternoon. Humidity will drop between 25 to 30 percent. Fuels are very dry and any fire that develops could spread rapidly. MNZ047>049-054>060-062-064>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-170100- /O.CON.KMPX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-240317T0100Z/ Stevens-Pope-Stearns-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi- Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Ramsey-Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod- Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Redwood-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice- Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth-Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault- Freeborn- 218 PM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... * AFFECTED AREA...Most of central and southern Minnesota. * WIND...Northwest around 25 mph, gusting to 35 to 40 mph. * HUMIDITY...As low as 25 to 30 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network. 

Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D.

Flake chances stay north

Parts of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin could see occasional light snow showers or flurries Saturday night. A stray flurry is also possible in those areas on Sunday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 7 a.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Sunday:

Iron County of far northern Wisconsin plus portions of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan could receive several inches of lake effect snow Saturday night through Monday morning. A winter weather advisory has been posted for those areas:

Here are details of the advisory in Iron County, Wisconsin:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 347 PM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 WIZ004-170900- /O.EXT.KDLH.WW.Y.0011.240317T0000Z-240318T1700Z/ Iron- Including the city of Hurley 347 PM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Lake Effect Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches in northern Iron County and 1 to 4 inches in southern Iron County. This will be accompanied by northwest winds gusting up to 25 mph tonight and Sunday. * WHERE...Iron County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the northwestern area of the Lac du Flambeau Band. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to noon CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Temperature trends

A warm coat and gloves will come in handy the next couple of days.

Sunday morning wind chills will be in the single-digits in portions of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Sunday afternoon high temps will be in the 20s in northern Minnesota, with 30s elsewhere:

Mid 30s are on tap for the Twin Cities. The average Twin Cities high temp is 42 degrees this time of year. There could be some Sunday afternoon wind gusts of 25 to 30 mph.

Monday highs will be in the 30s in many areas, with some 40s in far western Minnesota:

Tuesday will be the warmest day of the workweek, with 40s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Some spots in far southern Minnesota could reach the lower 50s Tuesday afternoon.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the upper 40s on Tuesday, followed by upper 30s Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Weather nugget

Sunday will feature the coolest Twin Cities high temperature since Feb. 28, when the high temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 20 degrees.

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.