Milder Thanksgiving temps, but breezy; drizzle and rain on Friday
Happy Thanksgiving!
The weather will cooperate with travelers across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin this Thanksgiving Day.
There could be some patchy freezing drizzle along and near the North Shore and South Shore of Lake Superior.
Continue on for details about Friday precipitation.
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Temperature trends
Our Thanksgiving Day highs are expected to range from the lower 40s in southwestern Minnesota to the upper 20s in the northeast.
Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could touch 40 degrees, but it will be breezy.
Our average high this time of year is 37 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area.
On Friday, most of Minnesota should see highs in the 40s, with some 30s in the far north:
Saturday will feature mostly 30s, with 20s in the northwest:
Sunday highs are expected to be in the 20s across most of Minnesota:
Rain and snow chances
Patchy drizzle and freezing drizzle are possible this Thursday and Thursday night in portions of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
Those same areas could even see a bit of sleet Thursday night.
You can check for weather updates from the Duluth office of the National Weather Service.
On Friday, much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will see areas of morning fog and drizzle, followed by some periods of rain in the afternoon and evening.
The rain could mix with or change to snow in northeastern Minnesota Friday evening.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Friday and Friday evening:
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 rain and snow.
As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you will also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
The weather looks quiet for most of our state on Saturday, but there could be some snow in north-central and northeastern Minnesota. Far southern Minnesota could see a rain/snow shower Saturday night.
On Sunday, it still looks like far southern Minnesota will have the a chance of snow showers. The Twin Cities metro area could see a passing flurry.
Check later forecast updates, since there is a “cone of uncertainty” for the track of the low-pressure system passing to our south on Sunday:
Ice safety
There is some ice on a few Minnesota lakes already, but it may not be safe:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has a lot of great information about ice safety, including the following:
We sometimes hear about people falling through thin ice.
The ice that you are standing on can also break away and drift into open water.
John Enger of MPR News has details about two anglers that had to be rescued on Upper Red Lake recently.
It's best to stay off of the ice until we have a long stretch of colder weather.