Windy and warmer Saturday; some Sunday rain and Monday snow
March can bring us a wide range of weather.
We'll go from watching the snow melt this weekend to watching it pile up again in much of Minnesota on Monday.
Temperature trends
Most of Minnesota will top out in the 40s Saturday afternoon, but a few spots in southeastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area could touch 50.
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Sunday highs will be in the 40s in most areas, with 30s in the far north:
Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to reach the 40s on Monday, followed by 30s Tuesday through Friday of this coming week.
Rain and snow potential
Some rain showers could develop late Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening in western and far northern Minnesota.
Northern Minnesota could also see some snowflakes mixed with the rain showers overnight Saturday night, and some patchy freezing drizzle too.
Eastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area have a chance of scattered rain showers or drizzle Saturday evening and overnight.
Minnesota will have rain showers or drizzle at times on Sunday, with some snowflakes and patchy freezing drizzle also possible in the far north.
Accumulating snow develops late Sunday night over parts of northern Minnesota and the snow is expected to spread over most of Minnesota during the daylight hours of Monday.
Periods of snow are expected to continue Monday night into Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon:
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 amount of snow accumulation will depend on the timing of the changeover to all snow.
The Twin Cities metro area could see several inches of snow from Monday into Tuesday.
Watches
A winter storm watch begins at 6 a.m. Monday and runs through 6 a.m. Tuesday for parts of northwestern Minnesota:
In Kittson county the watch starts at midnight Sunday night.
A winter storm watch begins at 6 a.m. Monday and continues until 6 a.m. Tuesday in parts of central Minnesota, northeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:
The Twin Cities 7 county metro area is not currently included in the winter storm watch, but the watch comes as close to the metro area as Isanti and Chisago counties to the north and Polk and St. Croix counties to the east.
Some details of the nearby winter storm watch:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
339 AM CST Sat Mar 3 2018
...HEAVY SNOW EXPECTED MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...
.A winter storm watch has been issued for Monday into Monday night
for locations along and north of a line from Little Falls, to
Princeton, to New Richmond, and Chippewa Falls.
Precipitation is expected to rapidly transition to all snow
Monday morning, with heavy snow possible Monday afternoon and
evening. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches are expected
across the watch area, with locally higher amounts possible. In
addition, northeast winds gusting to 30 mph will lead to some
blowing and drifting snow. Given the possibility of high snowfall
rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour, travel will likely become
difficult Monday afternoon and evening across the watch area.
MNZ043>045-050-052-053-WIZ014>016-023-025-027-031745-
/O.NEW.KMPX.WS.A.0004.180305T1200Z-180306T1200Z/
Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Benton-Isanti-Chisago-Polk-Barron-
Rusk-St. Croix-Dunn-Chippewa-
Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, Mora, Foley,
Cambridge, Center City, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson,
Menomonie, and Chippewa Falls
339 AM CST Sat Mar 3 2018
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE
MONDAY NIGHT...
* WHAT...Heavy snow. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 9 inches,
with localized amounts up to 11 inches.
* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and
central and east central Minnesota.
* WHEN...From Monday morning through late Monday night.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions,
including during the evening commute on Monday. Significant
reductions in visibility are possible.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for significant
snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue
to monitor the latest forecasts.
Details of the winter storm watch in parts of northwestern Minnesota:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
405 AM CST Sat Mar 3 2018
MNZ001>003-007-NDZ027>030-038-039-049-051015-
/O.NEW.KFGF.WS.A.0003.180305T1200Z-180306T1200Z/
West Polk-Norman-Clay-West Marshall-Grand Forks-Griggs-Steele-
Traill-Barnes-Cass-Ransom-
Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada,
Twin Valley, Halstad, Moorhead, Warren, Stephen, Argyle,
Grand Forks, Cooperstown, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro,
Hatton, Portland, Valley City, Fargo, Lisbon, and Enderlin
405 AM CST Sat Mar 3 2018
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE
MONDAY NIGHT...
* WHAT...Heavy snow and blowing snow possible. A period of
freezing rain or drizzle is possible. Total snow accumulations
of 5 to 7 inches are possible.
* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Minnesota and
northeast and southeast North Dakota.
* WHEN...From Monday morning through late Monday night.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on difficult travel conditions,
including during the evening commute on Monday. Winds gusting as
high as 35 mph could cause blowing and drifting snow.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for significant
snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue
to monitor the latest forecasts.
Nor'easter moves away
Winds are easing up a bit today as the nor'easter moves away from the east coast.
Coastal flood warnings remain in effect in the New York area this Saturday:
The extremely strong winds of the Nor'easter led to this scene on Friday:
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.