Slow snowmelt into the weekend; next snow chance
One thing that you really notice this time of year is that the sun angle is much higher than it was in January. The midday sun is more intense, and the additional minutes of daylight in March are nice.
Those late December days when our sunset times were close to 4:30 p.m. are now a distant memory.
Sunset times take a big leap on Sunday after we switch to daylight saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
Sunset will be at 7:14 p.m. CDT this Sunday in the Twin Cities metro area!
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Temperature trends
Thursday afternoon highs will be in the 20s over most of Minnesota, but a few spots in the Twin Cities metro area could reach the lower 30s.
Friday will feature highs in the lower 30s in many areas:
Mid to upper 30s will be common on Saturday:
Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to be around 40 on Sunday, followed by upper 30s next Monday and Tuesday.
The 6- to 10-day temperature outlook (March 13 to March 17) from the Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures over most of Minnesota:
We could see a lot of highs in the 40s next Wednesday through Saturday.
Snow chance
Minnesota will have a chance of occasional snow showers Saturday and Saturday night, possibly mixed with a bit of rain at times.
A snow flurry is possible in southern Minnesota early on Sunday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern Saturday through Sunday:
At this point it looks like any snow accumulations will be very light.
Nor'easter pulls away
Heavy snow hit much of New England overnight, but the storm will move away as we go through this Thursday afternoon and evening.
Winters storm warnings continue into this Thursday afternoon in Maine.
Boston reported about 6 inches of snow by Thursday morning, but double-digit amounts were common elsewhere in Massachusetts and in parts of Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire:
The Boston NWS will post updated snow reports.
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.