Warmer than normal through Wednesday; colder with snow potential on Thursday
Our official Twin Cities temperature was 21 degrees at 10 a.m. this Sunday.
The last time that we saw 20s in the Twin Cities was on Dec. 24.
We could touch 30 degrees in parts of the Twin Cities metro area Sunday afternoon, and we haven't seen highs in the 30s in the Twin Cities since Dec. 19.
After about two weeks of arctic chill in Minnesota, this temperature rebound feels great!
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It'll be nice to retire negative numbers for awhile:
Twin Cities low temps also dipped below zero on Dec. 25 through Dec. 27, so 12 of 13 days starting on Dec. 25 featured below-zero low temps in the metro area.
Temperature trends
Much of Minnesota will see Sunday afternoon highs in the 20s, with 30s in the south.
Monday's highs will be similar:
Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area will hit the lower 30s.
On Tuesday, the 30s spread into central and northwestern Minnesota:
Wednesday will also be warmer than normal, with Twin Cities highs in the upper 30s to around 40.
Falling temps are expected in the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota on Thursday, and the metro area will probably see highs in the teens on Friday.
Next weekend looks cool, with Twin Cities highs in the teens.
Looking ahead, NOAA's GFS model shows Twin Cities highs in the 20s and 30s from Jan. 18 through Jan. 22:
Note that the max temp listed at 06z on Jan. 19 is actually the Twin Cities max temp through late on Thursday, Jan. 18 .
Thursday snow potential
A low pressure system could spread rain or a rain/snow mix into Minnesota late Wednesday, which changes to snow Wednesday night and continues as snow on Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern from late Wednesday afternoon through Thursday:
The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the precipitation rate (mm/hour), not to the amount of rain or snow.
If the GFS model pans out, we could see several inches of snow in much of southern, central and northeastern Minnesota Wednesday night into Thursday.
We'll keep you updated.
Average highs hit low spot
Our Twin Cities average high temp is coldest from Jan 6. through January 18., at 23 degrees.
Our average Twin Cities high temp rises very slowly after that, reaching 25 degrees at the end of January.
The Twin Cities average high temp is 34 degrees at the end of February and sits at 49 degrees at the end of March.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.