Record highs followed by snow next week

Here’s your Saturday night forecast for February 24, 2024 from Minnesota’s Weather Authority and Meteorologist Matt Serwe.

If you could put up with the gusty south winds, it was a decent day around Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. Winds will gradually calm down tonight and turn to the west-northwest. That will help push more warm air across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin tomorrow. Highs reach the upper 40s in those areas, including the Twin Cities, with 50s likely in southern Minnesota. Central and northern Minnesota should stay in the low to mid 40s. Buckle up for the rest of the week.

Record highs are possible Monday afternoon. Brainerd and St. Cloud should top their current records of 55°, getting into the upper 50s. The Twin Cities might not reach the record of 64°, but the metro will be in the low 60s. This would be only the eighth time the Twin Cities has been in the 60s in the month of February.

We get another brief taste of winter through the middle of the week. When you wake up Tuesday, temperatures could be in the low to mid 40s. By the afternoon, they will be in the low 30s with some snow flying. Light snow is likely Tuesday evening through the night. Plan on doing some shoveling before work Wednesday, and plan on a slower morning commute. Also, dig out the big jacket, because wind chills Wednesday morning range from -5° to -15° in the metro.

I call it a taste of winter, because any new snow could be gone by next weekend. Temperatures return to the 40s by Thursday, 50s on Friday, and could get close to 60° by Saturday. It all depends on how much snow sticks, and how quickly it melts.