Another record high, gusty winds likely Sunday

Here’s your Saturday evening forecast for March 2, 2024 from Minnesota’s Weather Authority and Meteorologist Matt Serwe.

The Twin Cities set another record high Saturday, reaching 63°. That flew past the old record of 54° from 1923. St. Cloud also set a new record high of 58°, topping the previous record of 53° in 1934. Brainerd stayed just shy of the record, only getting to 53°. All of these readings are way above average highs in the low to mid 30s.

One more day of record highs is likely on Sunday. South winds gusting up to 40 mph will push temperatures into the upper 60s and low 70s from the Twin Cities to Rochester. Central Minnesota gets into the upper 50s and low 60s, likely setting or tying the record highs in St. Cloud and Brainerd. Keep in mind, with the warm weather, gusty winds, and very dry conditions, there is a high fire danger Sunday. Postpone any planned burning, and be very careful with anything that can create sparks.

A cold front moves across the state late in the afternoon through the evening. There is not a lot of moisture ahead of the front, so rain chances have slowly dropped in the forecast all week. If you are north or east of the Twin Cities, there could be an isolated shower or thunderstorm after 4:00 PM through sunset. Another weak low develops along the front Sunday night into Monday. That could be enough for isolated rain showers in the Twin Cities, and a few light snow showers up north. Behind the front, temperatures drop into the mid and upper 40s for the start of the work week.

There is another system to watch late Thursday into Friday. Right now, there are chances for rain and snow in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This would be the one to watch for maybe some light snow accumulations across the state.