Mild, breezy Tuesday; winter storm for Wednesday
Tuesday will be another mild December day. High temperatures will be in the 30s across northern and central Minnesota while much of the south warms into the 40s. The Twin Cities should have a mostly cloudy high near 42.
Winds will be on the increase Tuesday afternoon. A wind advisory has been posted for the afternoon for much of southwestern Minnesota where gusts up to around 45 mph are likely.
Winter storm developing for Wednesday
A Pacific winter storm will strengthen considerably as it crosses the northern part of the country eastbound. Some mixed precipitation of freezing drizzle, light freezing rain and snow is likely to cause icy conditions in northern Minnesota Tuesday night, so a winter weather advisory has been issued for that part of the state for overnight.
A winter storm watch has been issued for western, central and northern Minnesota for Wednesday and into northwestern Wisconsin by later Wednesday afternoon.
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Snow will overspread Minnesota on Wednesday and taper off Wednesday night. Total accumulations will probably be about 2 or 3 inches around the Twin Cities area with slightly more falling to the west and north. Amounts of around half a foot could fall on northeastern Minnesota and then northwestern Wisconsin.
Blowing and drifting
The big weather story will be the wind on Wednesday and into Wednesday night. A powerful, cold northwest wind will sweep across the state behind the storm’s cold front on Wednesday. Winds are likely to gust in excess of 50 mph in open areas of western Minnesota from Wednesday into Wednesday night. Blowing and drifting will lead to near-blizzard conditions and periods of whiteouts. The Twin Cities will likely see winds gusting to 30 to 40 mph and very limited visibilities.
Temperatures will plunge as those northwest winds howl. The Twin Cities will likely have a high temperature in the mid-30s Wednesday morning followed by falling temperatures into the teens during the afternoon. The falling temperatures could easily ice up many roads and streets.
Frigid Thursday
Thursday will be the coldest day so far this winter. High temperatures are forecast to reach only the single digits below zero in northern Minnesota, with single-digit highs across the south. The Twin Cities should have a chilly high near 6 above.
Quiet Christmas weather
Christmas Day weather looks to be uneventful with temperatures returning to near normal for late December and no precipitation expected.