Periods of snow, as winds ramp up; blizzard conditions western Minn. and parts of the south

Temperatures plummet by afternoon

The heaviest snow from this storm is over, but some periods of snow will continue this morning, with a bit of freezing drizzle possible too. Periods of snow linger into Saturday afternoon in northern Minnesota. Winds ramp up later this morning and into this afternoon. White-out conditions are possible in open areas, especially in western Minnesota and parts of southern Minnesota.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern this Saturday and Saturday evening:

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Simulated radar Saturday morning through Saturday evening
NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

An additional inch or so of snow is possible in the Twin Cities metro area today, with a bit more than that to the north.

Northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin will see the most snow this weekend:

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Weekend snow
National Weather Service

A blizzard warning continues this Saturday in much of western Minnesota, with a winter storm warning continuing in the remainder of Minnesota (except Houston county in the southeast), plus much of western Wisconsin:

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Saturday warnings
National Weather Service

This just in…the blizzard warning has been expanded to include parts of south-central Minnesota:

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Updated warnings
National Weather Service

Details of the winter storm situation:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 632 AM CST Sat Jan 18 2020 ...BLIZZARD WARNING EXPANDED EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... ...WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN... .Surface observations and reports from the Minnesota Department of Transportation indicate whiteout conditions have been developing shortly after the winds become gusty behind the arctic cold front. Gusts of 45 to 55 mph are occurring across southwest and west central Minnesota. These winds will spread eastward across southern Minnesota early this morning with blizzard conditions expected to reach the I-35 corridor by 9 AM. Wind gusts to 55 mph are possible with visibilities near zero at times for the rest of the day. The worst conditions will occur in west central into south central Minnesota through the day. The Blizzard Warning continues for west central into a portion of south central Minnesota today. In addition, falling temperatures into the single digits above and below zero will lead to icy roads and very cold wind chills this afternoon.

Details of the winter storm warning that includes the Twin Cities until 6 p.m.:

MNZ041>045-049>053-058>063-066-068>070-077-078-WIZ014>016-023>028- 182200- /O.CON.KMPX.WS.W.0001.000000T0000Z-200119T0000Z/ Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stearns-Benton-Sherburne- Isanti-Chisago-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington- McLeod-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Rice-Goodhue-Polk-Barron-Rusk- St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Alexandria, Long Prairie, Little Falls, Princeton, Mora, St Cloud, Foley, Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Hutchinson, Chaska, Shakopee, Hastings, Faribault, Red Wing, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Prescott, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 632 AM CST Sat Jan 18 2020 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and central, east central, south central, southeast and west central Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Blizzard warning details in western Minnesota:

MNZ047-048-054>057-064-065-073-074-082-091-182200- /O.CON.KMPX.BZ.W.0001.000000T0000Z-200119T0000Z/ Stevens-Pope-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi- Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood-Brown-Watonwan-Martin- Including the cities of Morris, Glenwood, Madison, Benson, Montevideo, Willmar, Granite Falls, Olivia, Redwood Falls, New Ulm, St James, and Fairmont 632 AM CST Sat Jan 18 2020 ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 55 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central, south central, southwest and west central Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The dangerously cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel may become nearly impossible and travel is not advised. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. 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.

You can hear updated weather information on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will have reports on road conditions. Wisconsin road conditions can be found here.

Snow totals

The Friday/Friday night snow total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 4.9 inches. You can generate an updated snow report map here. Just hover over any location on the map at that link to get the location and time of the snow measurement. Move the slider in the upper left corner of the linked map to “48 hours” to include reports from earlier on Friday.

Temperature trends

Saturday highs will happen in the early morning, with falling temps throughout the day. Wind chills will become colder as winds pick up. Here’s a look at wind chill temps around 1 p.m. Saturday:

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Saturday 1 p.m. forecast wind chills
National Weather Service

Sunday highs will be in the single digits:

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Sunday forecast highs
National Weather Service

Sunday will chills will be very cold also:

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Sunday 1 p.m. forecast wind chills
National Weather Service

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.