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It’s going to be a cooler Friday with light snow for northern Minnesota as we brace for heavier snow and subzero temperatures next week.

Behind a cold front that moved across Minnesota Thursday, temperatures are down Friday, with highs mostly in the low 20s. 

That’s 5 to 10 degrees lower than Thursday for northern Minnesota, and 10 to 15 degrees lower for southern Minnesota. 

Temperatures recover right away with most of the state seeing 30s again by Saturday.

There is also very light snow tracking across northern Minnesota, predominantly in a line north of U.S. Highway 2. Snow accumulations will stay less than an inch for most places. 

A little light snow could clip across the very northern fringe of the state again on Saturday, but the next significant storm starts impacting Minnesota on Sunday.

For northern Minnesota, it brings a slight chance for freezing rain or drizzle early Sunday.

By the time it affects the rest of the state late Sunday through Monday, temperatures will be falling, so all precipitation at that point will be snow. 

Exact snow locations and amounts will become more certain as the storm gets closer, but it currently looks like the heaviest corridor of snow could fall across central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, bringing a possible 3 to 6 inches of snow. 

The Monday morning commute will likely be slow. 

That snowstorm will also bring the coldest air of the season so far. Temperatures will basically free-fall from the 30s Sunday afternoon to subzero by Tuesday morning, with no warmup at all Monday. 

Most morning lows across the state will be below zero from Tuesday to Thursday morning. For high temperatures, southern Minnesota will struggle to get past zero on Tuesday, and some areas might see subzero highs for Wednesday. 

All of northern Minnesota could see subzero highs both Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning there could be a 48-hour-plus period where northern parts of Minnesota stay below zero. 

For most places, Wednesday morning will be the coldest, with negative teens. 

In the Twin Cities, we will be very close to — and could even break — our record low for Dec. 11, which currently stands at minus 14. 

Temperatures will start to recover by Thursday afternoon.

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:48 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Nicole Mitchell 

Author

It’ll be a cooler Friday with light snow for northern Minnesota, as we brace for heavier snow and subzero temperatures next week.  

Slightly cooler Friday, then possible record cold next week

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