It’s one of the most important weeks of the year for Minnesotans when it comes to the weather. What will the roads be like when you have to drive to the relative’s house for Thanksgiving? Will my flight get delayed? Am I going to spend my holiday shoveling?
WCCO Chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas has some good news. Despite the snow and cold we’ve been getting, things are going to be very quiet over the next week.
Here’s his rundown on what to expect for Turkey Day. Happy Thanksgiving!
“Long Duration Snow Event”
Last week was a mess. You know that if you were forced to commute, especially on Monday. But every day there was just enough white stuff in the air to be a nuisance.
We ended up getting about 4.5 inches of snow last week, over what Douglas calls a long duration snow event. Small amounts of snow spread out over several days.
“We talked about that and here we are, most of the snow is gone,” Douglas says. “I think officially an inch or two at the airport. Most of that will be gone by Wednesday.”
Douglas says we should hit 40 on Wednesday which will certainly melt a good amount of what is left on your lawns.
“I'm just happy to be average,” Douglas says about our cold couple of weeks.
The normal high now is 40 degrees in the Twin Cities which is sort of hard to believe after it’s felt like January recently.
Hey, at least we're not in Buffalo.
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Thanksgiving (Travel) Weather
It’s always one of the most travel-heavy weeks of the year (if not THE most).
Not just at airports, but millions of Americans are on the road to see the relatives and in the Upper Midwest, that means worries about rain and snow.
In Minnesota, Douglas says we could see a little rain this year but nothing major.
“Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, it clouds up, the models hinting at a few light rain showers,” says Douglas. Not sure it's going to be cold enough aloft for anything in crystalline form, frozen water. I just don't see it right now. So maybe a few wet pavements, wet sidewalks on Thursday and Friday.”
For your Black Friday, Douglas says there are no issues.
“We dry out low to mid-30s, no issues if you want to do some power shopping at your favorite stores on Friday.”
It’s all pretty good news for heading off to Grandma’s house. But, as always this time of year, watch out for slick spots and ice forming especially bridges and overpasses.
Full Forecast
Douglas says this is a week to thaw out some.
30 today (Monday), a bit of a breeze, blue sky, not too bad out there,” Douglas predicts. “Upper 30s to near 40 tomorrow. I think a good chance of hitting 40 on Wednesday.”
The weekend looks even better.
“And then my favorite, the European Model is saying upper 40s to near 50 on Saturday, the milder day of the weekend,” says Douglas. “Should be a nice late November day, cooling off a little bit on Sunday.
The longer range models are hinting at a real snowstorm, possibly for the northwestern half of Minnesota by the middle of next week. But this week with all the travel plans.
“I'm just grateful that that Mother Nature is hitting the easy button and there shouldn't be any drama when it comes to hitting the highways or even the skies,” Douglas says. “No big storms anywhere in the nation. The East Coast will get a rainstorm later this week. I think it'll be warm enough for just all rain if you're heading out east by Friday and Saturday.”
MONDAY: Mostly sunny. 30/21.
TUESDAY: Morning clouds, afternoon sun. 36/17.
WEDNESDAY: No travel concerns.
Sun/cloud mix. 37/21
THURSDAY: Early AM rain/snow possible with some clouds. 37/29. Chance of precipitation 20%. FRIDAY: Clouds slowly decrease. 39/27.
SATURDAY: Mainly sunny. Clouds increase late. 40/29.
SUNDAY: Quiet end to the holiday.
40/29.
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