Very quiet weather going into the new year
Fresh snow covers all of Minnesota. Snowfall data gathered and plotted by the National Weather Service shows a broad band of 4 to 6 inches from west-central Minnesota including Morris and Fergus Falls to the Brainerd area in the center and then to Duluth and the northeast. Parts of the Arrowhead reported more than 6 inches.
The official measurement for the Twin Cities of 2.4 inches of snow on Tuesday brought the season total to 30.4 inches, more than 9 inches above normal by this date. Duluth has measured about 45 inches of snow so far.
But snow has been skimpy in southeastern Minnesota this winter. Rochester has registered just 12.5 inches.
Quiet weather coming
The weather pattern across Minnesota will remain storm-free at least into next Tuesday.
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Meanwhile, a winter storm warning has been posted way to our south for west Texas where heavy snow is expected down to Big Bend National Park on the Rio Grande. Snow will spread northeast from Texas toward Chicago and the Great Lakes by Friday. Some light snow is possible in the southeast corner of Minnesota on Friday as the storm passes by. Rain and thunderstorms, some possibly severe, will soak areas south of the snow.
Expected total precipitation over the next week, ending at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, will be greatest from the Southern Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley, parts of the Southeast, and also the Pacific Northwest from Washington and Oregon south into northern California.
Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin should remain free of any significant precipitation for the next several days.
Gradually milder temperatures
Partial clearing will allow temperatures to fall into the single digits statewide by Thursday morning. Areas that remain clear for a few ours might drop to sub-zero singles. Afternoon high temperatures should be low to mid-20s.
Expect midnight temperatures on New Year’s Eve in the teens across Minnesota to ring in 2021.
The warmup will continue into the new year with highs in the 20s on New Year’s Day and a continued slow warmup through the weekend and on Monday. The Twin Cities will likely see highs in the low 30s on Monday.
Distant outlook for snow
Depending on which forecast models one chooses to latch onto, one or two weak weather systems from the west might bring us at least the chance of light snow on later next week.