The most Minnesota forecast possible this week

Here’s your Sunday night forecast for February 25, 2024 from Minnesota’s Weather Authority and Meteorologist Matt Serwe.

Pace yourself this week. There are a lot of ups and downs to keep track of. We start with a big warm-up on Monday. Highs in the low to mid 60s are likely from the Twin Cities to the south. Brainerd and St. Cloud should easily set record highs in the upper 50s. The warm, windy, and dry conditions, plus dead vegetation, could lead to a higher fire risk on Monday. If you have a burn pile ready to go, hold off until the middle of the week to torch it.

A strong cold front cuts across the state Tuesday. Highs could reach the low to mid 40s in the Twin Cities by the middle of the day. In the afternoon, winds flip to the northwest, and temperatures fall into the low 30s by the evening with wind chills in the upper teens and low 20s. Behind the front, a line of light snow moves west to east Tuesday afternoon and evening. Light to steady snow is possible in the Twin Cities by the afternoon commute, and more likely in the evening. As temperatures drop below freezing, roads could turn slippery.

The snow wraps up before sunrise on Wednesday. Around an inch of snow is possible in the Twin Cities, with up to two inches farther south and into northwest Wisconsin. Some cities up north, mainly north of Brainerd, could get as much as two to four inches of snow. The fresh snow and strong winds combine to bring wind chills below zero Wednesday morning. Around the metro, it will feel like about -5° to -15° at times. Across central and western Minnesota, there could be wild chills of -15° to -25°. You definitely want the big jackets and all the winter weather gear that day.

For the rest of the week, we see another quick shift in temperatures. The fresh snow likely keeps highs in the 40s Thursday, and the 50s Friday. By next weekend, the snow is gone, and highs could be in the mid to upper 60s across a large portion of Minnesota. That also comes with a chance for thunderstorms Sunday afternoon, mainly west of the Twin Cities.