This week's weather: Record warmth, then snow, wind, and back to warmth
Minnesota's theater of seasons is on full display this week, breaking the record for warmth in the Twin Cities and central Minnesota on Monday before getting a midweek taste of winter — to be followed by summerlike conditions over the weekend.
The wild temperature swing began on a high note Monday as the Twin Cities broke a record high temperature on the books since 1896. The temperature got to 64 degrees on Monday afternoon, one degree higher than the daily record. It was the warmest temperature ever recorded in February, according to the National Weather Service.
We'll get some Spring, followed by a quick dose of Winter, before we rebound back into Spring for end the week. We could see record warmth on Monday, but then colder, breezy, with light snow possible late Tuesday into Wednesday. Warmth returns on Thursday. #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/T3OUaWJV75
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) February 24, 2024
Rochester shattered its previous record, topping out at 69 degrees on Monday, 11 degrees higher than the previous high set in 1958. A new daily record was also set in St. Cloud — recording 58 degrees, three above the previous record set in 1958. Brainerd did not break a record, getting up to 53 degrees, below the record of 55 in 1976.
But Minnesota weather in February is cruel, and a winter storm moving through the Upper Midwest will bring snow and send the temperatures into a freefall. In Fargo, the Monday afternoon high of 61 in the afternoon was forecast to fall to the single digits by nightfall, the National Weather Service said.
Additionally a Winter Storm Watch with the potential for 4 inches of snow and blizzard conditions goes into effect Monday night in the Red River Valley, including Grand Forks and Fargo in North Dakota and Crookston and Fergus Falls on the Minnesota side. More than 8 inches of snow could fall across far northern Minnesota, the Weather Service said.
By Tuesday, lows in the Fargo-Moorhead area will be close to 0 degrees, the Weather Service said.
It won't be quite that cold in the metro area, but readings in the teens Tuesday night and highs in the 20s Wednesday will feel chilly. A burst of snow — up to an inch or two — accompanying the cold "could lead to slick travel that could last into the Wednesday morning commute," the Weather Service warned.
Coat weather will be replaced with spring-like conditions by Thursday with a high near 50 degrees. A strong sun will warm things up to near 58 on Friday and more temperatures records are in jeopardy Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid- to upper 60s, the Weather Service is forecasting.
