Cooler temperatures, though still above average this week

Here’s your Sunday night forecast for March 3, 2024 from Minnesota’s Weather Authority and Meteorologist Matt Serwe.

There were a few new record highs set around Minnesota on Sunday. The Twin Cities hit 74°, which is also the earliest 70°+ reading on record for the metro. St. Cloud has a new record of 71°, and Rochester’s new record is 72°. An interesting note on Rochester’s new record high: The previous record was 56°! It is a rare event when a record high is beat by sixteen degrees!

The very warm and windy conditions also fueled a large grass fire near Waseca, south of the Twin Cities. That smoke helped fuel more showers and storms than we expected in western Wisconsin. A couple of storms did have small hail, but they brought some very quick and beneficial rain to a lucky few. Those area already gone, and everyone in Minnesota and western Wisconsin will be dry tonight. Winds will also calm down after midnight.

Another low rides along that front on Monday. The best chances for a few light rain showers are southeast of the Twin Cities, but a sprinkle is possible in the metro. The lowest 1500 feet or so above our heads is above freezing, meaning the vast majority of any snow should melt into rain. However, if some beefy snowflakes hold together, there could be a couple that reach the ground.

Highs this week are cooler, although still above the normal highs in the mid to upper 30s. Expect mid to upper 40s Monday and Tuesday, and highs around 50° Wednesday and Thursday. There is another chance for rain and snow Thursday night into Friday, followed by another brief push of cooler air. At this point of the season, expect more rain than snow from here on out.