Minnesota Weather: Multi-Day Storm To Bring Mostly Rain To Metro, Several Inches Of Snow Far North
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A sloppy, multi-day spring storm is on track to hit Minnesota starting midday Tuesday, with a surge of moisture that could fall as rain, sleet or snow.
WCCO Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says much of Tuesday will be fairly quiet, with the day kicking off with temperatures in the mid-30s in the Twin Cities. Temps will reach into the low 40s by the afternoon, which is also when the winds will start picking up, with speeds between 10-20 mph. Those winds will stick around through early Friday.
By Tuesday afternoon, light rain will start to fall in the metro, with the heaviest bands of rain arriving in the evening. As the atmosphere cools, there's a brief window where we could see some freezing drizzle or freezing rain just north of the Twin Cities, which could put a glaze on roadways.
Shaffer says rain will be the dominate precipitation in the metro. By the time Wednesday morning arrives, we'll be on the back side of the low-pressure center, so there won't be all that much moisture to work with. There will indeed by snowflakes flying throughout the day -- with some light accumulation on grassy areas -- but it's going to be a rain event in the metro for the most part.
The system will be out of the state by early Thursday morning. Accumulation-wise, much of the southern half of the state will see less than an inch, while the northern half will see totals between a half inch and near 4 inches. The greatest snow accumulation will come across extreme northern Minnesota, which is why the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather watch from 7 p.m. Tuesday through 7 p.m. Thursday. The Arrowhead could see as much as 6.5 inches by early Thursday.
Temperatures will plummet to the mid-30s Thursday, but we'll start a gradual warmup Friday, and we'll spend several days in the 50s starting Sunday, which is actually around average for this time of year.