Milder temps for Minnesota this week; snowstorm into Monday in Virginia and North Carolina

It was great to have a sunny Sunday across most of Minnesota!

Sunday was the sunniest day in the Twin Cities metro area since Nov. 14.

Our Sunday afternoon high temp was 29 degrees at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. That's exactly equal to our average high temp this time of year.

When the sun is out and the winds are light, average highs feel pretty good in December.

Temperature trends

Highs in the 20s are expected across much of northern Minnesota and far southeastern Minnesota on Monday.

There should be some lower 30s in the remainder of southern Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota:

We could creep slightly above 30 degrees in some metro area locations.

Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to be around 30 degrees on Tuesday, followed by lower 30s Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Next weekend into the middle of the following week look mild too.

The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center shows a strong tendency for warmer than normal temps over Minnesota and Wisconsin during the Dec. 15 through Dec. 19 time period:

Snow chances

There’s a chance of light snow showers in Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Wednesday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening:

Minnesota and western Wisconsin could also see a few snow showers overnight Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

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.

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.

Snowstorm in Virginia and North Carolina

Some locations in North Carolina had double-digit snowfall totals by Sunday afternoon:

Parts of Virginia saw very impressive snow totals by Sunday afternoon:

By early Sunday evening, many snowfall reports in North Carolina and Virginia were in the 8 inch to 18 inch range:

Many areas will see additional snow Sunday night in early Monday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Sunday evening through Monday evening:

Blue areas in the loop indicate snow, green areas are rain.

You can get updates on the winter storm from the NWS offices in Raleigh, North Carolina and Blacksburg, Virginia.

Check with your airline if your travel plans include North Carolina or Virginia Sunday night or Monday.