Cold sunshine for Tuesday
Unseasonably cold weather will continue for the remainder of this week. Here is a quick look at it for areas in and around the Twin Cities:
Sunshine!
Skies were clearing gradually from north to south across Minnesota Monday night. After almost two weeks of mostly cloudy weather, at least at my weather station, we all will be in bright sunshine once southern Minnesota clears. That sun will have to do battle with more chilly air from Canada. The result will be a cold Tuesday, our twelfth consecutive cold day. Afternoon high temperatures will range from the low 20s in the northwest to the upper 30s in the southeast corner around Caledonia. The Twin Cities should have a high near 34 with a northwest wind of 5 to 10 mph.
Northern lights possible
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You might get lucky and spot northern lights Tuesday night as Earth passes through a stream of solar wind.
Snow mainly north Wednesday
A cold front from Canada will trigger some light snow in northern Minnesota Wednesday afternoon. Some areas such as around Ely and International Falls could pick up an inch or two.
Meanwhile, temperatures in the southern half of the state, ahead of the cold front, will be a bit warmer.
Light snow should end across eastern Minnesota Wednesday night. The Twin Cities area might see flurries.
Seriously cold Thursday and Friday
Locate one of your heavier jackets by Thursday. The air that will blow in from Canada behind the aforementioned cold front will be about 20 degrees colder than normal.
Expect high temperatures Thursday just in the low teens in northern Minnesota, upper teens in the central part of the state and low teens in the south. The Twin Cities proper should have a high around 25 courtesy of the urban heat island. All of us will be dealing with a gusty northwest wind.
Temperatures will bottom out at near-record levels Friday morning. Low temperatures are forecast to range from around zero in northern Minnesota to about 15 in the south.
Saturday snow and rain?
A weak disturbance could kick off some minor snow in northern Minnesota on Saturday while the Twin Cities area could get either rain or a rain/snow mix.
Milder next week
Forecast models continue to insist that warmer temperatures are on their way for early next week. Southern Minnesota could easily see highs in the 50s on Monday and 60s on Tuesday.
Tropical update
Tropical Storm Rina with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph has formed over the central Atlantic Ocean.
Rina is forecast to track north and then accelerate to the northeast. This path will keep the storm away from the Caribbean, the United States and Canada.
