Three unseasonably warm days are coming
Temperatures were slow to fall overnight, thanks to a mild air mass and an insulating blanket of broken mid-level clouds that has been streaming our way from the eastern Pacific and northern California.
Areas of light rain, mostly just sprinkles, formed beneath the thicker clouds and have been racing eastward across central Minnesota from Morris and Alexandria through the Brainerd area toward Duluth early this morning.
Although those same clouds will reduce today's solar heating somewhat, the sun will be only as high in the sky as it would be around February 10. So this week's warmup will be caused mostly by a surge of unseasonably balmy air.
High temperatures today should range from the mid 50s in northern Minnesota to the mid 60s in central and southern Minnesota.
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The Twin Cities area is likely to reach the mid 60s today and warm at least into the upper 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some low 70s certainly are possible around the metro area and across southern Minnesota on Wednesday unless clouds develop and limit the heating by a few degrees. These forecast high temperatures would be a solid 20 degrees warmer than normal.
But then the short-sleeve weather will come to a rather abrupt end.
A cold front from the northwest will cross Minnesota Wednesday night and Thursday to usher in the much cooler temperatures we should expect in November. Showers are likely on Thursday as well, especially in southeastern Minnesota in the afternoon and evening.
By the time the chilly air finishes pouring into Minnesota, our coldest day this week is likely to be Saturday with highs only from the upper 30s in the far north to the mid 40s in the middle and south.