Friday, February 20, 2026  1:40 AM 

Prepared by Bob Weisman, SCSU Meteorologist and Professor Emeritus

Temporary Break from Mild Weather Through Early Next Week

Time for Winter Weather is Slowly Dwindling

Even though northeastern Minnesota was buried by the mid-week snowstorm (38.6 inches at Hovland; set time to last 48 hours on the NWS Twin Cities snow reports map) and a swath from Benson and Granite Falls through the southwestern Twin Cities picked up 4-9 inches (see NWS Twin Cities summary of the February 18 snow), we are slowly approaching milestones on the way to the end of the cold season. St. Cloud only picked up 0.2 inch of snow, so our 83 consecutive day streak of at least an inch on the ground (3 days short of the typical cold season period) is over. Even though the past two days have been cloudy, and clouds are likely to persist today, St. Cloud now has 10 hours and 40 minutes of daylight, up nearly 2 hours from the late December minimum. The longer days mean that we don't have to go much further on the calendar to be safe from a low of -20 or colder (late February has some records in the -20's and -30's, but very few March days have low temperature records that cold), or a high of zero or colder (earliest record cold high milder than zero happens today and there are very few record cold highs colder than zero during March).

The deadline to get ice houses off of lakes is only 10 days away in central and southern Minnesota. We are only 16 days from the transition to Daylight Savings Time on March 8.

And in recent years, I've noticed that a lot of the waterfowl seem to return to the St. Cloud area about the last week of February (a bit earlier than the listed average). This seems to be independent of our weather; I definitely recall ducks climbing from the sidewalks to foot high snow accumulation in my yard on grass during a couple of years.

Bottoming Out With Near Seasonable Cold Weekend-Monday

So, we are getting there, despite our return to seasonable cold from today through early next week. Temperatures will be in the upper 20's to near 30 today, but will drop back to the 20's tomorrow, and could remain in the teens on Sunday and only brush 20 on Monday. The winds will remain up for most of the weekend, so we will see wind chills in the minus single digits or even minus teens overnight through the weekend.

Milder Weather Could Dominate Much of Next Week

We will return to mainly west-to-east steering winds, so much of next week has the potential for milder weather. Highs could return to the 30's on Tuesday, then we will have cooler air on Wednesday. Still, that cool air could be short-lived with possible above-freezing temperatures late next week into the weekend.

More Snow in NE Minnesota Possible Today, Heavy Snow Near LaCrosse This AM

The clouds will remain around today, since the leftover upper air low has only drifted from northeastern Minnesota into far western Ontario (see College of DuPage North America water vapor loop). There still is a chance of lingering light snow or flurries across northern Minnesota. This snow could linger until tomorrow at the tip of the Arrowhead, which could produce another 2-6 inches of snow today and tomorrow (set tab to both 00 UTC Sat. and 00 UTC Sun., 6 PM Fri and Sat CT on the NWS WPC probabilistic winter precipitation guidance) for 24-hour potential accumulations.  And, the long-forecast storm to our south doesn't have a full counterclockwise circulation, but heavy snowfall is occurring from southeastern Minnesota into Iowa and Wisconsin (see College of DuPage north central US radar loop). That's where the winter storm warning is in effect for accumulations in the 5-9 inch range. So, there are patches in the 'corners' of Minnesota with snow covered roads (see MnDOT Minnesota road reports).

Can't Rule Out Snow for Most of Next Two Months

By the way, I still consider the snow season through March, and sometimes April, but we are mostly likely less than 2 months from the end of it. 

Detailed St. Cloud, MN, and Vicinity Forecast

Confidence Level: "The Bugs Are Waiting for Me to Mow the Lawn"   

Friday 2/20/2026: Mostly cloudy, windy, and colder. Perhaps a stray snowflake. High: between 25 and 30. Winds: NW 10-20 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Friday Night: Partial clearing, still breezy, and colder. Maybe a flurry. Low: between 10 and 15. Winds: NW 8-15 MPH. Wind chill: between -10 and +5. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Saturday 2/21/2026: Partly sunny with maybe a wayward snowflake, still breezy, and a tad colder. High: between 20 and 25. Winds: NW 8-15 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Confidence Level: "Extra Bugs Will Come from Every House on My Block to Make a Cloud Around My Head" 

Saturday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy, still breezy, and even colder. Low: between 5 and 10. Winds: NW 8-18 MPH. Wind chill: between -10 and 0. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Sunday 2/22/2026: Partly sunny, breezy, and even a shade colder. Perhaps a flurry. High: between 15 and 20. Winds: NW 10-20 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Sunday Night: Partly clear, less breezy after midnight, and colder. Low: between 3 and 8. Winds: N 10-20 MPH evening, NW 5-10 MPH early morning. Wind chill: between -15 and 0. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Monday 2/23/2026: Sunshine through high clouds, lighter winds, and still cold. High: between 17 and 22. Winds: light. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Confidence Level: "Enough Bugs Will Fly into My Mouth to Throw Off My Diet"   

Monday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy with perhaps a flurry or light snow. Not quite as cold. Low: between 8 and 13 early, rising to near 20 by morning. Winds: S 5-15 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 20%.

Tuesday 2/24/2026: Partly sunny, breezy, and milder. A slight chance for an early flurry. High: between 27 and 33. Winds: NW 8-15 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 20%.

Extended: Colder Wednesday?? Much milder late next week??? 

Forecast Confidence (10 – "The Rabbits Will Thump Even Though I Fed Them"; 0 – "The Rabbits Will Offer To Groom My Bald Spot"): 8 Thursday, 7 Thursday night and Friday, 6 Friday night and Saturday, 5 Saturday night and Sunday, 4 Sunday night and Monday, 3 Tuesday. 

Yesterday's Daytime High: 32°F; Overnight Low (through 2 AM Friday): 26°F; 

St. Cloud Airport last 24-Hour Precipitation (through 2 AM Friday): None; SCSU 24-Hour Precipitation (through 2 AM Friday): None

Next Update: Monday, February 23, 2026 6 AM

Comments

Let me know what you think about this forecast and discussion by emailing SCSU meteorology professor Bob Weisman. Please note that I make the forecast, not the weather!

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