November opens on a snowy note
You can slice and dice Minnesota's seasons in many ways. April through October generally represent the warm, snow-free season in Minnesota. I often think of the months of November through March as the cold and potential snow season.
Welcome to the five months that typically feature bouts of winter weather in Minnesota. Crank up the color blue on the Doppler.
Sloppy system
Here's the system. Low pressure swirls through Wednesday. We may see some higher intensity snow bursts in the midday hours. The heaviest snow falls north of the Twin Cities. Warmer air changes precipitation from all snow to a rainy mix from the Twin Cities south this afternoon.
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Winter storm warnings north
Winter weather advisories are up from the northeast Twin Cities metro to the north and east. Winter storm warnings blanket the North Shore. Several inches could fall along the ridge above the North Shore by Wednesday night.
Including the cities of Two Harbors, Silver Bay, and Grand Marais
312 AM CDT Wed Nov 1 2017
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT...
* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Plan on difficult travel
conditions, including during the evening commute. Total snow
accumulations of 4 to 6 inches are expected.
* WHERE...The north shore of Lake Superior including southern
portions of Cook and Lake counties. The highest snowfall amounts
will fall across the higher elevations.
* WHEN...Noon today to midnight.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Be prepared for significant reductions in
visibility at times.
Twin Cities: snow to a sloppy mix
Expect snowfall of varying intensity Wednesday in the Twin Cities. We could see some pretty good intensity bursts during the midday hours.
Twin Cities snowfall may range from just a dusting in the south and west metro, to heavier 2 and 3 inch totals favoring the northeast Twin Cities. Precipitation may mix with and change to rain Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures in the upper 30s should mean mostly wet roads by afternoon rush.
A second shot of snow arrives Friday, again heaviest north of the Twin Cities.
Including the cities of Princeton, Mora, Cambridge, Center City,
Blaine, Stillwater, Osceola, and Hudson
555 AM CDT Wed Nov 1 2017
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS
MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
* WHAT...Snow expected. Plan on slippery road conditions,
including during the evening commute. Total snow accumulations
of 3 to 4 inches are expected.
* WHERE...Portions of east central Minnesota, northwest
Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin.
* WHEN...9 AM to 7 PM Wednesday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Look for reduced visibilities at times.
Milder weekend
Temperatures moderate by Sunday. Highs could push 50 once again. What snow falls this week should be gone by Sunday evening in the Twin Cities.
Mild again mid-November?
It doesn't look like we're going into the permanent deep freeze just yet. I'm still seeing signs that milder air masses may nudge into Minnesota as we move deeper into November. The upper-air pattern looks zonal, meaning milder Pacific air should visit us at times in the next two weeks.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System output still spits out some 50s toward mid-month.
Stay tuned.