Cold weekend; gradually milder next week
A few inches of snow fell on northeastern Minnesota Friday night. Light snow will diminish in that area on Saturday while lake-effect snow continues in northwestern Wisconsin. After some morning flurries in the Twin Cities area, the rest of us should see a snow-free weekend.
Very cold weekend statewide
You will be grabbing your heavy-duty winterwear for outdoor activities this weekend.
Frigid high pressure is sweeping into Minnesota from the Canadian prairies on Saturday. Meanwhile, a major storm is bringing rain to the East Coast and snow and a wintry mix from the southern Appalachian Mountains to Quebec.
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Morning temperatures fell into the single digits below zero in northwestern Minnesota early Saturday morning and will remain subzero throughout the day in much of that part of the state. A wind chill advisory will continue until noon for the northwest corner around Hallock to Crookston.
A gusty northwest wind mainly in the 10 to 20 mph range will drive temperatures downward for the rest of the state as we go through Saturday. The Twin Cities should see temperatures fall from the upper teens early Saturday morning down into the single digits in the afternoon on a northwest wind of 10-15 mph.
Very cold Saturday night
The frigid air mass will conspire with clearing skies, diminishing winds and a substantial snowpack to bring all of Minnesota a very cold Saturday night.
Low temperatures Sunday morning will chill into the teens and 20s below zero across northern and central Minnesota. The milder southern part of the state should see mostly negative single digits. The Twin Cities are likely to drop to around 7 below.
Arctic Sunday
High pressure becoming more centered over Minnesota on Sunday will bring us a cold day nearly 20 degrees colder than the average highs for the date. But we will be able to enjoy some sunshine and just a light breeze.
Another messy storm well to our south
A major storm that will begin over the southern US on Sunday will strengthen on Monday. Severe weather is possible in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama while a variety of wintry weather spreads from Oklahoma to New England.
For Minnesota, Monday is likely to bring a weak cold front but no significant weather.
Gradual thermal moderation for us next week
We should see gradually milder temperatures as we go through next week—possibly even slightly warmer than normal late in the week.
Storm-free week coming our way
Maybe the best weather news is that no major winter storms are likely to pounce on Minnesota during the next week. My snow shovel will appreciate the break.