Chilly temps continue through Wednesday; milder for Thanksgiving

Persistent clouds blanketed the Twin Cites and southeastern Minnesota Monday night and prevented temperatures from plummeting as frigid Canadian air sat on our state. Meanwhile, areas where skies cleared really chilled with low temperatures near zero. As of 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Eden Prairie reported 8 degrees, Hutchinson was 1 above and New Ulm was a numbing zero.

Tuesday will remain on the chilly side for most of us. Expect afternoon highs just in the teens in the northeast while Rochester should see about 28 and the Twin Cities near 31. The warmest area will be southwestern Minnesota where temperatures might reach 40.

Light snow for Tuesday

Light snow will fall mainly on the northern half of Minnesota on Tuesday. Some freezing drizzle or light freezing rain is possible from east central Minnesota into northern Wisconsin.

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Nov 20 - Tue fcst map
Forecast surface weather map for Tuesday. NOAA Weather Prediction Center

Light snow from the Canadian prairies had already advanced into northern Minnesota by early Tuesday.

Nov 20 - dlh radar
Weather radar at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Duluth National Weather Service

The light snow will slide southeastward across the state and drop a layer of up to about an inch mainly north of I-94.

Nov 20 - precip Tue
Forecast snowfall amounts for Tuesday. Twin Cities National Weather Service

Good driving for travelers Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday should bring us at least a little sun but more chilly temperatures. Look for highs in the teens north and mostly 20s south.

Thanksgiving Day will be milder although building clouds might cut back the high temperatures a bit. I think we will see highs around 30 in the Arrowhead, about 38 in the Twin Cities and low to mid 40s in the southwest.

Rainy Friday

Expect precipitation on Friday. Temperatures should be warm enough for it to fall as rain over most of the state. Some mixed precipitation might be possible in the north.

Colorado low to form by Saturday

The above words "Colorado low to form" should get your attention.

Our snow events this autumn have been weak Alberta clippers from western Canada that bring just light snow of up to a few inches. Most of our major winter storms, however, develop as deepening low pressure systems east of the Rockies, often in Colorado. Such a storm is forecast to form over eastern Colorado by Saturday.

While it is way too early to forecast its track and timing, these storms often eject in our direction. Parts of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin could easily get a significant snow event beginning Saturday night or Sunday. This is just an outlook at this point, so look for actual forecasts as the weekend draws closer.