Gradual warm up begins Monday with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s by Tuesday.
The next chance for precipitation arrives late Wednesday into Thursday ahead of a cold front leading into the weekend.
Early look at Christmas week: quieter pattern heading into at least the early part of that week.
After a brutally cold weekend, a gradual warm up will begin Monday and last through Wednesday. Highs on Tuesday and Wednesday in the mid-30s will feel downright balmy after the past weekend wind chills of 20 to 30 below zero at times across southern Minnesota.
Be on guard for this extreme temperature swing that will happen within 48 hours, when the change in the "feels like temperatures" (from weekend wind chills to Tuesday's highs) will be 60 degrees!
The mild temperatures should melt some of the snowpack, but given the short duration it likely won't erase all of the snow on the ground.
The quieter and milder weather won't last long, however, with the next storm coming into the region on Wednesday. This will start as rain thanks to the aforementioned above freezing temperatures, but will transition to a rain/snow mix and then eventually end as all snow Thursday morning.
A brief cold snap will build in behind the system with falling temperatures forecast throughout Thursday. Overnight lows will dip back below zero and highs will struggle to warm out of the teens on Friday.
After the upcoming weekend, a ridging pattern will give another period of quiet weather heading into Christmas week.
Kathryn Prociv, CCM
*Forecast is subject to change, especially beyond 48 hours. An updated forecast will be provided if there is a significant change in the forecast.
Use the gray arrows next to "Day-by-day forecast" to click through the frost risk forecast for the next four days starting with the first risk for tonight/tomorrow morning.
