A bit milder this weekend, with flakes for some of us
I notice that the mention of snow this time of year makes some people roll their eyes. Many people are looking forward to springtime, and they aren't amused by snow talk.
Spring will come; I've been able to golf by the middle of April in most of the past 25 years in the Twin Cities.
Snow chances
Southwestern and south-central Minnesota could see some occasional light snow or flurries this Friday.
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Occasional light snow showers are possible statewide on Saturday, and there could be some light rain in the mix over southern Minnesota.
Periods of light snow are a good bet in much of Minnesota Saturday evening into Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday through Sunday:
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 or rain.
The NAM model shows minor snow accumulations in most of Minnesota, with a few inches possible in the far south:
Snow depth
Of course, we already have plenty of snow cover in Minnesota.
Here's the latest snow depth map from the Minnesota State Climatology Office:
Temperature trends
Much of Minnesota will reach highs in the lower 30s this Friday afternoon, but a few spots will top out in the upper 20s.
Saturday will feature a lot of 30s:
Sunday's highs will be in the 30s too:
Twin Cities metro area highs stay in the upper 30s to start the coming week, but reach the lower 40s Wednesday and upper 40s for Thursday and Friday.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model shows a high around 62 degrees in Minneapolis next Friday (March 16):
The conversion of the European Centre temp of 17 degrees Celsius looks like this:
I suspect that the European model melts our snow cover more quickly that the American forecast models.
Spring forward
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Set clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night.
It's probably a good thing that our smartphones and laptops do the time change automatically!
Our Twin Cities sunset on Sunday: 7:14 p.m. CDT
You can check the U.S. Naval Observatory charts for sunrise and sunset on any day of the year.
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.