Mild weekend ahead; plenty of snow cover across Minnesota, Wisconsin

Our Wednesday mix of light rain, snow, mist and fog left many trees looking freshly flocked:

It would look even more striking against a bright blue sky, but our clouds will linger through the day.

A mix of snow and freezing drizzle is falling in parts of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, where a winter weather advisory continues Thursday afternoon and evening:

Duluth is among the cities included in the winter weather advisory. Here are some advisory details:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 1115 AM CST Thu Jan 23 2020 ...PROLONGED PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW AND SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE... .A band of freezing drizzle will slowly move to the north of the Twin Ports throughout the afternoon and evening.

This freezing drizzle has caused icy roads which have led to numerous spin outs on local area highways. A prolonged period of light snow is expected today into tonight.

Mostly snow is expected over Ashland and Bayfield Counties and higher accumulation is looking more likely across the higher terrain of the Bayfield Peninsula. MNZ019-020-026-035-240300- /O.EXB.KDLH.WW.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-200124T0300Z/ Central St. Louis-Southern Lake-South Itasca-Northern Aitkin- Including the cities of Hibbing, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Rapids, and Hill City 1115 AM CST Thu Jan 23 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Mixed precipitation. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of a light glaze. * WHERE...Central St. Louis, Southern Lake, South Itasca and Northern Aitkin Counties.

This includes the Tribal Lands of the Bois Forte Band, Lake Vermillion area and the Mille Lacs Band, Big Sandy Lake area. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

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

Now, let’s look ahead to the weekend!

Temperature trends

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees this time of year, but we’ll be seeing weekend highs in the 30s in the Twin Cities metro area and much of Minnesota.

Here are forecast Saturday highs:

You can see some highs in the 20s in far western Minnesota. Our mid-30s in the Twin Cities metro area are typical highs in early March.

Saturday wind chill temps will be mainly in the 20s, with teens in the far west:

Sunday high temps will reach the 30s in most areas:

Sunday afternoon wind chill temps will be mainly in the 20s:

We won’t be seeing any arctic chill this weekend!

Weekend snow chances?

The weekend is expected to be precipitation-free in most areas. There could be a bit of snow Sunday afternoon and evening in parts of northern Minnesota.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday through Sunday evening:

Snow depths

If you have outdoor plans this weekend, you’ll be happy to know that there’s plenty of snow on the ground across most of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Here’s Thursday’s snow depth analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

Many spots in the northern third of Minnesota have more than 20 inches of snow cover, and some spots in northeastern Minnesota have more than 30 inches of snow on the ground. The official snow depth in the Twin Cities was 8 inches Thursday morning.

There’s ample snow on the ground in most areas for cross-country skiers, sledders, snowboarders and snowmobilers.