Cloudy Through Saturday - Rain/Snow Possible Sunday Into Monday

Cloudy skies stick around on Friday here in the metro as winds remain light. Morning temperatures will start off in the low 20s with highs climbing into the mid-30s.

A quiet Friday is expected statewide with just mainly cloudy skies. Highs will generally be in the 30s.

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Saturday will be the driest day of the upcoming weekend, with more clouds than sun and highs in the mid-30s. However, as we head into Sunday and Monday we will be watching a system developing and moving through the region, bringing the potential of precipitation.

Forecast loop from 6 AM Sunday to 6 AM Tuesday

This looks to be another messy system, where we could see the potential of both rain and snow as it moves through. There could even be a period of freezing rain as we head toward Monday morning - but it appears to be a slight chance this far out. We'll continue to keep an eye on this and how it all comes together as we head through the next few days - but at least a few inches of accumulating snow can't be ruled out at the moment.

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There is good agreement that we will see cooler air move in toward the middle of next week, with highs in the 20s or low 30s. It's not majorly cold air - but it will be below average for early March.

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Giving Thanks For Quiet March Days
By Paul Douglas

If you can't spend a year in Minnesota, just stay for March. Because you get a year's worth of crazy weather conveniently crammed into 31 days.

What other month can go from a record high of 83F to a record low of -32F? March tournament snowstorms are legendary. 40" of snow fell on the Twin Cities in March, 1951. Tornadoes? Check. River flooding. Some years, yes. I'm happy when things simmer down for a few days, which is rare in March, when the US sees big temperature contrasts that "juice" powerful storms.

In March we gain 90 minutes of daylight, the biggest gains of the year!

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Partly sunny, pleasant. Wake up 23. High 38. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 5-10 mph.

SATURDAY: Mix of clouds and sunshine. Wake up 25. High 40. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 7-12 mph.

MONDAY: Light mix tapers. Wake up 32. High 36. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind N 10-20 mph.

TUESDAY: Blue sky and a cool breeze. Wale up 23. High 34. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 8-13 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy. Light snow may stay south. Wake up 22. High 31. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NE 10-20 mph.

THURSDAY: Colder with flurries. Colder. Wake up 20. High 24. Chance of precipitation 50%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

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*Length Of Day: 11 hours, 15 minutes, and 23 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 6 seconds

*When do we see 12 Hours of Daylight?: March 18th (12 hours, 2 minutes, 31 seconds)
*Earliest Sunrise Before DST Begins: March 11th (6:33 AM)
*Latest Sunset Before DST Begins: March 11th (6:13 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
March 3rd

1977: A snowstorm results in over 400 school closings in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

We will continue to watch the system that produced severe weather Thursday in the southern United States move northeast on Friday, producing more severe storms from the Ohio Valley to the Southeast and a band of snow and icing on the north side from the Central Plains to the Northeast. A system moving through the Northwest brings snow chances to the mountains.

There is the threat of severe weather in the Ohio & Tennessee River Valleys down into the Southeast on Friday. The greatest threat will be across portions of Kentucky and Tennessee. Damaging winds are the primary threat, followed by isolated tornadoes.

At least 3-5" of rain will be possible between Thursday and Saturday in the central United States, leading to the potential of flooding. Heavy snow of at least 5-8" will be possible in the Great Lakes, with over a foot in parts of New England. In the Sierra, feet of snow will be possible.

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Why North Dakota is preparing to sue Minnesota over clean energy

Why we can't solve the climate crisis without schools — and teachers

More from the Los Angeles Times: "When wildfire smoke blocked the sun and turned the sky orange above the San Francisco Bay Area in September 2020, Andra Yeghoian's two young children, ages 3 and 5, were scared. And they had questions: What was going on? Was this normal? Yeghoian did her best to explain and to comfort them. "I can't not talk about climate change with my kids," she said. "It's the same for teachers with their students." Yeghoian is one of the lead authors of a new report — released Thursday and shared exclusively with The Times — exploring how K-12 schools can educate students about climate change, while contributing to climate solutions themselves. It's a fascinating read, full of useful ideas for teachers, lawmakers, government agencies, school districts and kids. It was written by university researchers and staffers at a variety of nonprofits, advocacy groups and other organizations, with funding from the Schmidt Family Foundation, which is backed by former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy."

How a $6B transmission project made it in New York

More from E&E News: "When Transmission Developers Inc. announced plans for an underwater power line from Quebec to Queens, George W. Bush was president and Joe Biden was a senator. Fifteen years later, the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) is on the way to completion — making it a rare success story in a country where major transmission lines have often stalled. For the Biden administration to reach its clean energy goals, miles of long-distance power lines need to be built in the next decade to connect new clean energy projects to cities and towns. But getting those lines approved and paid for — and surviving legal challenges from project opponents — has often been a challenge."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser