Chilly air returns; plowable snow is possible Sunday and Monday

Many Minnesotans enjoyed highs in the 40s Wednesday afternoon.

Some of us took a leisurely walk in the sunshine and warmth.

I noticed that many people gave their cars a much needed trip through the car wash.

One bonus of the warmth was a smoother ride, as the shock absorbers in our cars loosened up a bit.

Cooler air will spread across Minnesota as we go through this Thursday.

The Twin Cities metro area will see 30s into early Thursday afternoon, then falling temps later in the afternoon and through the evening.

The cold front that's moving through Minnesota could also give us some snow showers at times this Thursday and Thursday evening.

Temperature trends 

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 29 degrees this time of year.

We'll only reach the lower 20s, at best, in the Twin Cities metro area on Friday:

Much of northern Minnesota will top out in the teens.

Some lower 30s return to southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities on Saturday:

Parts of far northwestern Minnesota could top out in the teens.

Similar highs are expected on Sunday:

Twin Cities highs are expected to be in the 20s on Monday, and around 20 Tuesday and Wednesday.

Temps rebound late next week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows Twin Cities metro area highs ranging from the upper 20s to upper 30s from the end of next week through March 1:

Saturday flake chance

Periods of light snow are possible across much of Minnesota late Friday night into early Saturday afternoon.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern late Friday night through Saturday:

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow.

Accumulations are expected to be fairly light in most areas that see snow, maybe around an inch or so.

Plowable snow potential Sunday into Monday

There's the potential for several inches of snow for much of Minnesota from Sunday into Monday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential snow pattern from Sunday through Monday evening:

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the precipitation rate (mm per hour), not to the total amount of precipitation.

This run of the GFS model shows that the main time for accumulating snow in the Twin Cities would be Sunday evening into Monday, but that could change if the storm track changes.

Check forecast updates if you're planning to travel in Minnesota or western Wisconsin anytime from Sunday afternoon through Monday.

Snow cover

Parts of west-central and southwestern Minnesota have little or no snow cover right now.

Here's today's snow depth map, from NOAA:

Parts of far northern Minnesota have over one foot of snow on the ground.

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.