Snowmelt continues for most of us; SW Minnesota will get more flakes
I've noticed shrinking snow cover on south-facing hills the past few days, while the snow cover is still substantial on many north-facing slopes.
I guess Spring arrives a bit sooner if you're on the sunny side of the street!
Southwestern Minnesota snow
A low pressure system will spin moisture over parts of far southern Minnesota Friday afternoon into Friday night.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern:
A wintry mix of snow, rain, light freezing rain and freezing drizzle is possible over far southwestern Minnesota into parts of south-central Minnesota Friday afternoon into Friday night.
The NWS has a winter weather advisory for three counties in southwestern Minnesota (Rock, Nobles, and Jackson counties) from 1 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
328 PM CDT Thu Mar 15 2018
IAZ001-002-MNZ089-098-SDZ038-039-054>056-061-062-067-160600-
/O.EXT.KFSD.WW.Y.0014.180316T1800Z-180317T0600Z/
Lyon IA-Osceola-Nobles-Rock-Beadle-Kingsbury-Miner-Lake-Moody-
McCook-Minnehaha-Lincoln SD-
328 PM CDT Thu Mar 15 2018
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM FRIDAY TO 1 AM
CDT SATURDAY...
* WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations
of 2 to 4 inches and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of
an inch are expected.
* WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast South Dakota,
northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.
* WHEN...From 1 PM Friday to 1 AM CDT Saturday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The ice will result in difficult travel
conditions. Be prepared for reduced visibilities at times.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or
freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for
slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while
driving. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling
from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Here's the NWS snowfall estimate:
Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you can also find updated weather information on the MPR news live weather blog.
Temperature trends
Friday highs will be mainly in the upper 30s across Minnesota, with some lower 40s from the Twin Cities metro area into southeastern Minnesota.
Highs in the 40s will be widespread on Saturday:
Similar highs are on tap for Sunday:
I expect Twin Cities highs to reach the upper 40s this weekend. A few spots in the metro area could touch 50 degrees.
Highs in the lower 40s are projected for the metro area Monday and Wednesday, with upper 30s on Tuesday.
Snowier in Boston
Our official Twin Cities snowfall total (at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport) is 4.7 inches so far this month.
At Boston's Logan Airport, they've measured 21.9 inches of snow this March:
That's what happens when you get hit by three nor'easters in two weeks!
This week's nor'easter was impressive:
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.