Good Thanksgiving weather; rain chance for some on Friday

Most Minnesotans and their guests will enjoy some great weather this Thanksgiving Day.

There was one area of fog and mist in northwestern Minnesota late Thursday morning:

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NWS Grand Forks ND

No rain or snow is expected elsewhere in Minnesota, and most of us will have pleasant afternoon temperatures.

Highs will range from the upper 20s in far northeastern Minnesota to around 50 in the southwest.

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Twin Cities metro area temps are expected to poke into the lower 40s Thanksgiving afternoon.

That's good walking weather after your Thanksgiving meal!

Temperature trends

Highs on Friday are expected to reach the 50s in much of southern Minnesota:

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The Twin Cities high temp should reach at least 50 degrees on Friday, and it could go higher if there are some breaks in the cloud cover Friday afternoon.

Our average high on November 24 is only 36 degrees, so you could call 50 "warm".

On Saturday, highs drop back down into the 40s in southern Minnesota, with mostly 30s in the north:

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Some spots in The Twin Cities metro area could see highs in the lower 40s on Saturday.

The Twin Cities could touch 50 degrees on Sunday, and lower 50s are possible on Monday.

Tuesday and Wednesday highs are expected to be in the upper 30s to around 40.

Friday rain chances

Northern Minnesota has a good chance of some rain showers on Friday, and the south will have a chance of rain showers Friday afternoon and evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Friday through Friday night:

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NOAA NAM simulated radar from Friday through Friday nightr, via tropicaltidbits

Green indicates rain, blue indicates snow in the loop.

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of rain or snow.

The precipitation in northeastern Minnesota could change to a rain/snow mix or light snow late Friday night.

Thanksgiving records

How would you like a Thanksgiving with a "high" temperature of one degree below zero?

That's what happened in the Twin Cities in 1872, according to the Twin Cities Thanksgiving climatology history that was compiled by the Minnesota State Climatology Office.

Our warmest Thanksgiving high temperature in the Twin Cities was 62 degrees, in 1914 and 1922.

We hit 60 degrees in the Twin Cities on Thanksgiving of 2012.

As you know, it can snow on Thanksgiving.

Measurable snow fell on 29 of the past Thanksgivings back to 1884, about every five years or so. The most snow that fell on Thanksgiving was five inches in 1970. The last time there was measurable snow on Thanksgiving was in 2015 with 1.3 inches of snow.

Historically, about one in three Thanksgivings have at least one inch of snow on the ground. The deepest snow pack is a tie with 1921 and 1983, both with 10 inches on the ground by Turkey Day.

Impress you family and friends with some of those Thanksgiving weather stats today.

I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend!