Snow tapers from west to east; arctic chill returns

Snow lingered over about the eastern half of Minnesota at midday Thursday, with the back edge of the snow moving slowly eastward.

The Twin Cities metro area will continue to see some snow accumulation until around mid-afternoon, with a few stray flurries possible during the late afternoon.

Gusty winds will reduce visibilities at times this afternoon, with some drifting snow possible in open areas.

Snow amounts 

Some early snow amounts in northern Minnesota include 8.5 inches near Ely, and 5 inches near Grand Rapids:

Snow totals for the Twin Cities metro area and southeastern Minnesota will start to come in Thursday afternoon and early evening.

Snow tapers by late afternoon

Our snow will end from west to east as we go through the afternoon hours Thursday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern this Thursday afternoon:

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow.

Afternoon snow accumulations in the Twin Cities should be around one inch or less, but parts of southeastern Minnesota could see another two to three inches before the snow tapers off later this afternoon.

Warnings and advisories

A winter weather advisory continues until 6 p.m. this Thursday for southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Details of the advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

1202 PM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...SNOW CONTINUES ACROSS EASTERN MN AND WESTERN WI...

.Accumulating snow will continue this afternoon across far eastern

MN and western WI. Additional accumulations of 2-4" is possible in

the Winter Weather Advisory area.

From Mille Lacs Lake through the Twin Cities area and Mankato,

light snow is going to continue this afternoon, but little

additional accumulation is expected. Hence the Winter Weather

Advisory for these areas has expired.

Wind chills will dip to around 25 degrees below colder later

today and tonight across much of central and south central

Minnesota. A Wind Chill Advisory is now in effect across western

MN.

MNZ078-085-093-WIZ014>016-023>028-120000-

/O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-180112T0000Z/

Goodhue-Steele-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-

Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire-

Including the cities of Red Wing, Owatonna, Albert Lea, Osceola,

Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Prescott, Menomonie,

Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire

1202 PM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS

EVENING...

* WHAT...Snow and blowing snow occurring. Plan on slippery road

conditions, including during the evening commute. In addition,

areas of poor visibility are expected. Additional snow

accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and

south central and southeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 35 mph will

cause areas of blowing and drifting snow.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow and blowing snow means periods

of snow and blowing snow will cause primarily travel

difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited

visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road

conditions for Minnesota can be found at 511mn.org and for

Wisconsin at 511wi.gov, or by calling 5 1 1 in either state.

A blizzard warning continues until 1 p.m. this Thursday in the Red River Valley area of northwestern Minnesota:

Details of the blizzard warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Grand Forks ND

944 AM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

MNZ003-NDZ039-112200-

/O.UPG.KFGF.WW.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-180111T2200Z/

/O.EXA.KFGF.BZ.W.0001.000000T0000Z-180111T1900Z/

Clay-Cass-

Including the cities of Moorhead and Fargo

944 AM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Blizzard conditions occurring. Travel will be very

dangerous to impossible.

* WHERE...In Minnesota, Clay County. In North Dakota, Cass

County.

* WHEN...Until 1 PM CST this afternoon. Blowing snow reducing

visibility will continue in open country through the afternoon

hours. Dangerous wind chills will continue through tonight.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 45 mph will

cause whiteout conditions in blowing snow. Significant

drifting of the snow is likely. Cold wind chills as low as 40

below zero will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to

exposed skin.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Blizzard Warning means severe winter weather conditions are

expected or occurring. Falling and blowing snow with strong winds

and poor visibilities are likely. This will lead to whiteout

conditions, making travel extremely dangerous. Do not travel. If

you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get

stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for

the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Visibilities are very limited in northwestern Minnesota:

A winter weather advisory continues until 4 p.m. this Thursday afternoon in much of the remainder of northwestern Minnesota and into a portion of west-central Minnesota.

Details of the advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Grand Forks ND

944 AM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

MNZ022>024-027-028-030>032-040-112200-

/O.CON.KFGF.WW.Y.0002.000000T0000Z-180111T2200Z/

Mahnomen-South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-

West Otter Tail-East Otter Tail-Wadena-Grant-

Including the cities of Mahnomen, Naytahwaush, Waubun, Alida,

Ebro, Lake Itasca, Long Lost Lake, Lower Rice Lake, Roy Lake,

Upper Rice Lake, Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes, Wolf Lake,

Fergus Falls, Perham, New York Mills, Parkers Prairie, Henning,

Battle Lake, Wadena, Menahga, Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Ashby, Herman,

and Barrett

944 AM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS

AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Snow and blowing snow occurring. Plan on slippery road

conditions. In addition, significant reductions in visibility

are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of central, north central, northwest and west

central Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 4 PM CST this afternoon. Dangerous wind chills

will continue through tonight.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 40 mph will

cause widespread blowing and drifting snow. Cold wind chills

as low as 35 below zero will cause frostbite in as little as

30 minutes to exposed skin.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory for blowing snow means periods of

blowing snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Be

prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibilities, and use

caution while driving. The latest road conditions for the state

you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Part of northeastern Minnesota is in a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. this Thursday, with a winter weather advisory for the remainder of the northeast until 6 p.m.:

Details of the winter storm warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Duluth MN

1214 PM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...SNOW TO CONTINUE...

.Snow continued to fall over much of the Northland but was

diminishing from the Brainerd Lakes Region north to International

Falls. There will be a slow diminishing trend from the west and

we have extended some of the Warning and Advisories. Snow will be

widespread over most of northern Wisconsin through late afternoon

diminishing this evening, except along the South Shore. Reports

of 5 to 8 inches have occurred from the Iron Range on north. If

you will be traveling across the Northland today and tonight,

please allow some extra time to reach your destination safely.

MNZ011-019-112200-

/O.CON.KDLH.WS.W.0001.000000T0000Z-180111T2200Z/

North St. Louis-Central St. Louis-

Including the cities of Ely and Hibbing

1214 PM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS

AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Heavy snow and blowing snow occurring. Plan on difficult

travel conditions, including during the evening commute.

Additional snow accumulations of up to two inches are expected.

* WHERE...North St. Louis and Central St. Louis Counties.

* WHEN...Until 4 PM CST this afternoon.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 30 mph will

cause areas of blowing and drifting snow.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Warning for snow and blowing snow means severe

winter weather conditions are occurring. If you must travel, keep

an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an

emergency. The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be

obtained by calling 511 in state, or 1-800-542-0220. For

Wisconsin, call 511 in state, or 1-866-511-9472

And details of the winter weather advisory, which includes Duluth:

MNZ012-020-021-037-038-WIZ006-007-120000-

/O.CON.KDLH.WW.Y.0002.000000T0000Z-180112T0000Z/

Northern Cook/Northern Lake-Southern Lake/North Shore-

Southern Cook/North Shore-Carlton/South St. Louis-Pine-Burnett-

Washburn-

Including the cities of Isabella, Two Harbors, Silver Bay,

Grand Marais, Duluth, Pine City, Hinckley, Grantsburg,

and Spooner

1214 PM CST Thu Jan 11 2018

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS

EVENING...

* WHAT...Snow and blowing snow occurring. Plan on slippery road

conditions, including during the evening commute. In addition,

areas of poor visibility are expected. Additional snow

accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest Wisconsin and east central and

northeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds gusting as high as 35 mph will

cause areas of blowing and drifting snow.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow and blowing snow means periods

of snow and blowing snow will cause primarily travel

difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited

visibilities, and use caution while driving. The latest road

conditions for Minnesota can be obtained by calling 511 in state,

or 1-800-542-0220. For Wisconsin, call 511 in state, or 1-866-511-

Updates

Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you can also find weather info on MPR News live weather blog.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has road conditions around our state.

You may also want to check Wisconsin or North Dakota road conditions if you are planning to travel to the east or northwest.

Snow drought

Through Wednesday, our Twin Cities season snowfall total was only 7.2 inches, which is 18.6 inches below our average snow total at this point in our snow season:

On average, January is our snowiest month of the year in the Twin Cities:

Our Thursday snow total in the Twin Cities will be a start, but we'll still have a long way to go to reach our average January snow total of 12.1 inches.

Arctic chill

It's back to the 20s below zero in northwestern and north-central Minnesota late Thursday night and early Friday morning:

International Falls might hit 30 below zero.

Below zero highs are expected in most of northern Minnesota on Friday:

Highs in the south will be in the single digits above zero.

Similar highs are expected on Saturday.

Sunday's highs are just a few degrees warmer, or "less cold":

Twin Cities highs slip back to the single digits above zero for Monday and Tuesday, followed by teens on Wednesday and 20s next Thursday.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.