Weekend weather: Breezy with coldest temps Saturday into Sunday

I’ll get to the weekend forecast after this update on our Friday weather.

Northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin will see periods of snow showers Friday afternoon and evening with reduced visibility at times. Some areas up north will also see some snow showers overnight Friday night.

Portions of central Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin will have light snow showers at times Friday afternoon and evening. The Twin Cities metro area will have some some periods of light snow or flurries Friday afternoon with some graupel and sprinkles also possible.

What causes graupel? It happens when snowflakes pass through a layer of super-cooled water droplets:

Parts of the Twin Cities metro area saw graupel for awhile Friday morning.

Winds will be gusty through Friday afternoon and into the evening. A wind advisory continues until 6 p.m. Friday in southwestern Minnesota:

Here are details of the wind advisory:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 1035 AM CDT Fri Apr 19 2024 IAZ001>003-013-014-MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-SDZ040-055-056- 062-192300- /O.NEW.KFSD.WI.Y.0007.240419T1535Z-240419T2300Z/ Lyon-Osceola-Dickinson-O`Brien-Clay-Lincoln-Lyon-Murray- Cottonwood-Nobles-Jackson-Pipestone-Rock-Brookings-Lake-Moody- Minnehaha- Including the cities of Sibley, Tyler, Inwood, Rock Rapids, George, Slayton, Milford, Lakefield, Sioux Falls, Larchwood, Flandreau, Orland, Spencer, Lake Benton, Jackson, Marshall, Windom, Worthington, Hendricks, Mountain Lake, Sheldon, Sanborn, Pipestone, Spirit Lake, Brookings, Fulda, Madison, Luverne, Ivanhoe, Arnolds Park, and Hartley 1035 AM CDT Fri Apr 19 2024 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Northwest winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, and east central and southeast South Dakota. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

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

Saturday morning flake chance north

A few flurries could linger into early Saturday morning in parts of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It looks dry across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin from 6 a.m. Saturday into Sunday evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday:

Weekend temps and wind gusts

You’ll need to cover tender outdoor plants or bring potted plants indoors to withstand the chilly overnight temps this weekend.

Low temperatures will dip into the 20s and lower 30s late Friday night into early Saturday morning:

Saturday highs will be in the 40s across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area will touch 50 degrees Saturday afternoon. That’s chilly; the average Twin Cities high temperature is 59 degrees on April 20.

Wind gusts of 18 to 22 mph are expected in many areas on Saturday:

Low temps late Saturday night and early Sunday morning will be in the 20s to lower 30s:

Much of the Twin Cities metro area could see Sunday lows in the lower 30s, with mid 30s near the downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Sunday high temperatures will be in the 50s in most locations, with some spots in southern Minnesota and the the Twin Cities metro area topping 60 degrees:

Sunday afternoon wind gusts will be between 16 and 22 mph in most areas with higher wind gusts in parts of northeastern Minnesota:

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.