Upper Midwest Daily Snow
By Andrew Murray, Technical Founder & Meteorologist Posted 8 years ago February 17, 2016
Spring is Here?
With temperature getting above the freezing mark for the entire Upper Midwest with a warm front and strong low on Friday, it will really feel like spring around the Upper Midwest. Unfortunately that means a better chance of rain than snow for many of us.
Today was the perfect day for skiing with cold, high pressure dominating most areas with sunny skies and temperatures right around the 20º mark. Only the South Shore had any chance of seeing some lake effect during this morning and tomorrow morning, with everyone else staying dry.
As for the big weather maker for this week, a strong low pressure system and accompanying warm front will move through the Upper Midwest on Friday, bringing warm temperatures and mixed precip. That’s where the issue lies, many areas in southern and central Minnesota should see temperatures near 50º on Friday, leading to seeing mostly rain during the day Friday. Happy Spring?
Further north things are a bit more complicated, as the low will eventually ushers in below freezing temperatures, allowing the rain/sleet to switch over to snow overnight on Friday. Regardless with the mess this system is temperature wise, any amounts are going to be paltry with nobody seeing more than a dusting to half-inch.
This low pressure system is followed by a clipper shortwave out of Canada on Sunday afternoon and evening, which will be helped by cooling temperatures overnight Saturday night. That being said, there’s not much to this system and precipitation type will once again be split north to south. Once again, even up north won’t see more than a dusting overnight on Sunday.
Looking ahead to next week, the ridge continues dominating the west with a trough draped across the east. However, none of the models dump cold air into the Upper Midwest, so we should see mostly seasonal temperatures right below freezing, maybe a couple of degrees warmer when the sun comes out.
Regardless, it’s really going to feel like spring!
Andrew