Moderating temperatures Friday and Saturday

Snowfall on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning accumulated up to more than 4 inches in some locations in southern Minnesota. The freshly fallen snow was a splendor to view but not so fun to navigate on the highways.

The National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen posted a list of snowfall amounts from the Christmas Eve snow.

So far this month, Duluth has tallied more than 39 inches of snow, making it the third snowiest December on record. More snow is likely on Saturday night.

Where skies cleared and winds dropped off overnight temperatures dropped well below zero.

At 6 a.m. the thermometer was shivering with 20 below zero at Ely in northeast Minnesota.

Low temperatures are very much influenced by the landscape (snow cover), cloud cover and winds at this time of year.  Longview in northern Minnesota was 7 above zero with overcast skies this morning.

Temperatures have been running well below normal for the month.

International Falls, Minn., average temperature for December, including Dec. 25, is 3.3 degrees below zero.  That is 14 degrees below the 30- year normal.  Friday and Saturday bring a nice run-up on the thermometer.

Patchy cloud cover this morning, but there is no wide  band of snow on the radar. A coating of snow may occur along Interstate 94 this morning from Fargo-Moorhead to the Twin Cities.

Your forecast high temperatures for Friday indicate a thaw. Be sure to load up on window washer fluid.

Arctic air surges into the upper Midwest late Saturday. We'll track the potential for accumulating snow as we move through the rest of the week.

Tailgating for the final Viking game at the Metrodome is likely to be very chilly.

If you are headed to the Gopher Texas Bowl game in Houston, afternoon temperatures are expected to be in the lower 60s, dropping into the upper 40s later in the evening.