Inbound system: Plowable snow northwest, rainy metro mix
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Snow lovers in western and northern Minnesota are in for a treat. Twin Cities snow enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for a significant blanket of white to play in.
Our next (winter?) weathermaker gathers steam and moves into the Dakotas and western Minnesota today.
This one brings plowable snowfall totals and dramatically improved chances for a Minnesota white Christmas in Ortonville, Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd and the Iron Range. St. Cloud and Duluth ride the snow southern edge but pick up accumulations too.
A little ice mixes in at times before precip transitions to mostly snow. In the Twin Cities we start with a snowy mix tonight, then warm air should work in far enough to change precip to rain and drizzle once again.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
System headlines:
Winter storm warnings up for parts of the Dakotas and western Minnesota today and Wednesday
Winter weather advisories flying for most of northwest Minnesota
Twin Cities rides the rain-snow line tonight, mostly rain Wednesday
The season's coldest air so far blows in behind the storm Thursday - highs in the 20s
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WHEATON...ORTONVILLE...EUREKA...ABERDEEN...BRITTON...SISSETON...IPSWICH...WEBSTER...FAULKTON... REDFIELD...CLARK...WATERTOWN...MILBANK
354 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2015
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ABERDEEN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.
* EXPECT PERIODS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY. SNOW WILL THEN DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING...AND CONTINUE THROUGH MID DAY WEDNESDAY.
* THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL RATES WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 6 PM THIS EVENING AND WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* LOOK FOR SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY AT TIMES.
* PLAN ON DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS.
Tightly wrapped system
You can clearly see the tightly wrapped upper low spinning east of the Front Range in northeast Colorado on the GOES 2 km resolution infrared satellite loop. The system is well formed, and contains enough energy to produce some impressive snowfall rates as it moves northeast.
Favorable storm track for snow west and north
The low pressure center track favors a Sioux City-North Shore route, with the surface low just northwest of the Twin Cities Wednesday morning. The favored snow zone usually lies about 100 miles northwest of the low track. That puts the heaviest accumulating snow well north and west of the metro.
A more detailed animated look at the storm track and timing of the precipitation shield. Snow west. Metro mix. Cold air (finally) gushes in behind the system Thursday.
Another look at the precip shield and totals moving in. NOAA's North American Mesoscale Forecast System 4 km resolution model cranks out a half-inch to 1 inch of liquid in eastern South Dakota and west central Minnesota. That should easily translate into a 4- to 8- inch snowfall band with some higher local totals.
Here's the Grand Forks, N.D., National Weather Service notion on snowfall timing in the Red River Valley and western Minnesota tonight.
The view from Duluth where a light icy glaze greets the day.
Season's coldest air behind storm
One thing this storm will accomplish for the metro? The season's coldest air blows in behind the storm.
Calm air and temps near 10 degrees may freeze over some metro area lakes by Saturday morning.
Stay tuned.
