Light Snow Chances Continue Through Friday - Watching The Weekend Precip Potential

Forecast loop from Midnight Wednesday Night to Noon Thursday.

The next chance of some light snow to impact the state will move into southwestern Minnesota Wednesday Night, lasting into early Thursday. A narrow band of snow is expected to produce snowfall amounts up to 2" through the midday hours Thursday mainly south of the Minnesota River.

Again, the best chances of snow during the daytime hours Thursday will be across southwestern Minnesota during the morning (mainly south of the Minnesota River), otherwise, cloudier skies are expected in southern Minnesota with sunnier skies as you head north. Highs will be in the teens and 20s across the state - up to 15F degrees below average.

A mainly cloudy day is expected Thursday in the Twin Cities, with the chance of a few snow showers as we head into the evening hours (more on that below). Morning temperatures will start off in the mid-teens, climbing to the mid-20s in the afternoon.

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Forecast loop from 6 PM Thursday to 6 AM Friday.

We could see a narrow band of snow form as we head into Thursday evening from near I-94, lifting northward as we head through the overnight hours into early Friday. Snowfall amounts are only expected to be a few tenths of an inch.

We continue to watch the potential for a storm as we head into Friday Night and the first half of the weekend here across the upper Midwest. Models have been coming into better agreement that we'll see either a mix of precipitation or some freezing drizzle Friday Night which changes over to all rain Saturday in the metro before ending as a little snow Saturday Night into early Sunday. It'll be areas farther to our north and west that see the best potential for snow accumulation. To our south - down near the Iowa border and into Iowa - we could see the first strong storms of the season.

So as we look at the weekend, we watch that messy mix of wintry precipitation on Saturday here in the Twin Cities - likely starting off as some freezing drizzle or a mix in the morning hours before changing over to just rain with some thunder possible - with highs climbing to around 40F. As temperatures drop Saturday night into the upper 20s, rain will become freezing rain and/or snow. A little bit of snow will still be possible Sunday, but only light amounts would be expected.

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Spring Is Coming. That's Not Fake News
By Paul Douglas

March is a manic month. Madness describes the atmosphere, as well as hoops. Huge north-south temperature contrasts can brew up huge storms of every flavor imaginable.

Saturday's storm looks more wet than white for the MSP metro, southeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin. A few inches of slush may accumulate from Fergus Falls and Bemidji to Hibbing, but this will not be a snowy cataclysm.

Highs poke into the 30s most days into next week, but models show another quick slap of arctic air mid-month. Polar air doesn't hang on nearly as long in March.

While we wait for daffodils, chirping robins and the season's first mosquitoes consider this: MSP average highs are close to 50F by March 31. Woohoo!

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Peeks of sun, milder. Wake up 23. High 37. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 8-13 mph.

SATURDAY: Mostly rain MSP. Sloppy mix north/west. Wake up 32. High 35. Chance of precipitation 90%. Wind N 8-13 mph.

SUNDAY: Flurries taper, skies clear. Wake up 23. High 28. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

MONDAY: Partly sunny and brisk. Wake up 10. High 27. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Plenty of sun, pleasant. Wake up 12. High 32. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 8-13 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
March 3rd

*Length Of Day: 11 hours, 16 minutes, and 9 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 3 minutes and 6 seconds

*When Do We See 11.5 Hours Of Daylight: March 8th (11 hours, 31 minutes, 47 seconds)
*Earliest Sunrise Before DST Begins: March 12th (6:30 AM)
*Latest Sunset Before DST Begins: March 12th (6:15 PM)

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

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The most active weather on Thursday will be across the western United States, with rain and snow expected. Portions of southern California could see thunderstorms. Some snow will also be possible in the upper Midwest and northern New England.

Several inches of snow will be possible over the northern tier of states as we head through the next few days, with some of the higher amounts expected in the Northern Rockies. Rain will be possible in the western United States.

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More from The Energy Mix: "After two days of absorbing, parsing, and reading analyses of this week's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, one conclusion shines through: the compendium that UN Secretary General António Guterres calls an "atlas of human suffering" will only matter if countries take action. In 3,675 pages of relentless science and analysis, more than 270 scientists from 67 countries have told citizens and world leaders what we already knew, in more comprehensive detail than ever before: despite growing public demand for faster, deeper carbon cuts, action on the climate emergency by governments, businesses, and institutions is falling far short of what's needed."

Ford will split EVs and legacy autos into separate units as it aims to boost electric business

More from CNBC: "Ford Motor said Wednesday it will reorganize operations to separate its electric and internal-combustion engine businesses into different units within the automaker. The company expects the move will streamline its growing electric vehicle business and maximize profits. It's a similar strategy to how Ford is operating its Ford Pro commercial vehicle business under CEO Jim Farley's "Ford+" turnaround plan. "We're announcing one of the biggest changes in our history today," Farley said Wednesday morning when announcing the reorganization."

How fast can Europe wean itself off Russian gas?

More from Canary Media: "This fast-escalating conflict has forced Europe and its allies to prepare for the possibility of major shortages of Russian gas in the months to come. Experts agree that reducing or entirely cutting off that supply would leave Europe at risk of skyrocketing energy prices and shortfalls of the fuel needed to heat homes, generate electricity and supply industries such as metal smelters and fertilizer and chemicals producers."

Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).

- D.J. Kayser