Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Light snow chances ahead Thursday and this weekend

Fresh coating of snow possible by Sunday night

Snowfall projection for Minnesota
Snowfall projection for Minnesota through Friday morning
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

We may finally see a few more snowflakes in the next few days. Two weather systems will bring mainly light snow to Minnesota through Sunday. The first system arrives Thursday.

On the map below, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model shows bands of lighter snow tracking across Minnesota Thursday. The best chance for snow in the Twin Cities arrives Thursday afternoon into evening.

NOAA NAM 3 km model
North American Mesoscale 3 km model between 6 a.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

Overall snowfall totals with Thursday’s system will be relatively light. A candy coating of less than an inch of snow is likely in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. Much of central and northern Minnesota could pick up 1 to 2 inches.

Snowfall projection for Minnesota
Snowfall projection for Minnesota through Friday morning
NOAA

Weekend clipper

The second system arriving this weekend looks potentially a bit stronger. The Canadian model shows the system tracking from the Dakotas into Minnesota this weekend. The forecast model loop below runs between 6 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

Canadian model
Canadian GEM model output between 6 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday
Environment Canada, via Tropical Tidbits

The most favored timing window for accumulating snow in the Twin Cities is Saturday night into midday Sunday.

Snowfall totals through the weekend should reach 1 to 3 inches across much of Minnesota with locally 4 inches-plus possible in central Minnesota.

European model (ECMWF) snowfall output
European model snowfall output through Sunday (10-1 ratio).
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather

Temperatures Thursday will be mainly in the 20s so it will feel slightly milder out there than in recent days.

Forecast high temperatures Thursday
Forecast high temperatures Thursday
NOAA