It might be spring, but it certainly doesn't feel like it.
Button up and bring your umbrella while traveling this weekend, because the Twin Cities metro area will be soggy. Starting Sunday, bouts of heavy rain and wind will plague the region, and it could turn to flakes overnight.
Minneapolis and St. Paul can expect 1.5-2 inches of precipitation through Monday, where temperatures will drop to the high 30s — well below normal for this time of year, said Alexandra Keclik, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.
But western Minnesota will see the worst of it. A southwest band from Brainerd to Sioux Falls may accumulate 2-6 inches of heavy snow as temperatures hover near freezing. A winter storm watch for west central Minnesota will remain in effect through Monday evening due to possible sleet and ice. Frost is likely, so residents in that portion of the state should remember to cover any newly planted petunias.
Sunday will be the only day to break 40 degrees in the Twin Cities, so don't put away your gloves just yet. It might be ideal to stay indoors; northeast winds reaching 20 miles per hour, paired with the storm, will make it a gloomy weekend.
The sun will reappear later in the week, with high temperatures in the 60s by Friday, Keclik said.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
