Wintry mix for parts of western Minn.; mild temps linger this week

Last Sunday we were dealing with arctic chill, but we’ll have mild (for January) temps this Sunday.

Parts of northwestern Minnesota and west-central Minnesota will see a mix of light snow/sleet and freezing drizzle at times this Sunday afternoon/early Sunday evening. A winter weather advisory continues in several counties until 6 p.m.:

Here are details of the portion of the advisory that includes Fergus Falls:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 529 AM CST Sun Jan 26 2020 MNZ030-040-270000- /O.EXB.KFGF.WW.Y.0004.200126T1200Z-200127T0000Z/ West Otter Tail-Grant- Including the cities of Fergus Falls, Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Ashby, Herman, and Barrett 529 AM CST Sun Jan 26 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...A mixture of freezing drizzle, sleet and snow is expected. Little to no snow, but a light glaze of ice is expected. * WHERE...West Otter Tail and Grant Counties. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Slippery road conditions can be expected. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Slippery road conditions can be expected. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Prepare for possible power outages. The latest road conditions for North Dakota can be found at dot.nd.gov/travel and for Minnesota at 511mn.org, or by calling 5 1 1 in either state.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Sunday afternoon through Sunday night:

The precipitation that spreads into southwestern Minnesota and parts of south-central Minnesota Sunday evening and overnight could be a mix of freezing drizzle and light snow.

Areas that may see periods of freezing drizzle Sunday evening/Sunday night are shaded yellow in the following NWS graphic:

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

Temperature trends

Sunday afternoon highs will be in the upper 20s across much of Minnesota. A few spots in far southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin may reach the lower 30s.

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees this time of year. Some spots in the Twin Cities metro area could top out around 30 this Sunday afternoon.

Monday highs will range from the upper teens in far northwestern Minnesota to the 30s in the southeast:

Twin Cities highs metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 30s Monday through Thursday, followed by mid 30s on Friday.

The milder-than-normal weather will probably continue into early February. The Jan. 31 through Feb. 4 temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency toward warmer than normal temperatures across Minnesota and Wisconsin:

Milder than normal January

Our Twin Cities average temperature this January is running 4.3 degrees warmer than normal. The average temperature is an average of all the daily high temps and low temps.

Here are the official Twin Cities stats through Saturday, as measured at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The “DEP” column shows the departure from normal of each daily average temp:

Just 9 out of 25 days were colder than normal this January in the Twin Cities. The remainder of this month will feature milder than normal temps in the metro area.

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.