Your weekend outdoor forecast includes chilly temps; update on snow depths
Ice safety reminders
Many people will be doing their holiday shopping this weekend, but I’ll bet that quite a few people will be outdoors taking advantage of our substantial snow cover. Cross-country skiers, sledders and snowboarders love this snow, and there’s even enough snow for snowmobiling in parts of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.
This snow-fun pic was taken on April 16, 2018:
The latest snow depth analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows plenty of snow cover across the upper Midwest:
There are between 10 and 20 inches of snow on the ground across much of northeastern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, with well over 20 inches in many areas near Lake Superior. Many spots in central and southern Minnesota, plus west-central Wisconsin, are in the 4-to-10 inch snow depth range.
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Weekend temperatures
Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 27 degrees this time of year. Our highs will be well below average in most areas this weekend.
Saturday highs range from the single digits in western Minnesota to 20s in far southeastern Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin:
Temperatures will slowly fall in the southeast by Saturday afternoon.
Saturday will be the breeziest day of the weekend, with afternoon wind chill temps in the teens below zero in western Minnesota:
Low temperatures late Saturday night/early Sunday morning are below zero in most areas:
The Twin Cities metro area will see lows in the single-digits below zero early Sunday morning, but western and northern Minnesota will dip into the teens below zero.
Sunday highs only reach the single digits in most areas:
At least the winds will be light on Sunday!
Snow chances
Most of Minnesota will see some periods of snow Friday and Friday night, and some snow showers could linger into early Saturday in eastern Minnesota and much of Wisconsin.
NOAA’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon:
Sunday looks dry in most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
Ice safety
If you plan to venture out onto a lake this weekend, here’s a reminder about ice safety.
The ice thickness guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources indicate that at least 4 inches of clear new ice are needed to support a human:
Here are additional ice-thickness guidelines from the Minnesota DNR:
UNDER 4" - STAY OFF
4" - Ice fishing or other activities on foot
5" - 7" - Snowmobile or ATV
8" - 12" - Car or small pickup
12" - 15" - Medium truck
Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe.
White ice or "snow ice" is only about half as strong as new clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice.The DNR does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. Your safety is your responsibility. Check ice thickness at least every 150 feet.
Temperature, snow cover, currents, springs and rough fish all affect the relative safety of ice. Ice is seldom the same thickness over a single body of water; it can be 2 feet thick in one place and 1 inch thick a few yards away. Check the ice at least every 150 feet.