Snow update for Saturday/Saturday night; who will see the most snow

Kids with sleds or snowboards will be happy with this forecast of fresh snow. People who are out driving in it will be dealing with slippery roads and reduced visibilities.

Snow timing

Snow has already moved into southwestern Minnesota and parts of south-central Minnesota this Saturday morning. The snow is expected to spread to the east and north this afternoon. A separate area of snow has begun in northeastern Minnesota.

The snow lingers through this evening in most areas, then it tapers off from west to east later tonight. Snow may linger a little past daybreak on Sunday in parts of northeastern Minnesota and far southeastern Minnesota plus western Wisconsin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from noon today through noon on Sunday:

Here’s the NWS timeline of snow for selected locations:

For the bulk of the Twin Cities metro area, the accumulating snow is expected to move in between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. today, then linger through this evening. Metro area snow is expected to taper off after 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Snow amounts and advisories

Generally 3 to 5 inches of snow are expected in the Twin Cities metro area by late Saturday night, with close to 6 inches possible in the far south metro.

Forecast totals this afternoon and tonight may reach or exceed 6 inches in the portions of southern Minnesota that are shaded yellow on this map:

Winter weather advisories cover southern Minnesota plus parts of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin this Saturday afternoon into Saturday night:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory, which includes the Twin Cities metro area, from noon today to 3 a.m. Sunday:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 954 AM CST Sat Jan 23 2021 ...SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT... .Snow is moving northeast across southwest Minnesota this morning and reach western Wisconsin during the late afternoon. The snow will end late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. A widespread band of 3 to 6 inches of snow is expected to fall along and south of a line from Appleton, to Saint Cloud, to the northern Twin Cities metro in Minnesota and from St Croix Falls to Ladysmith in Wisconsin. Within this area, a band of 6 to 7 inches of snow will be possible from Redwood Falls to Mankato and along I-90 in south central Minnesota. Travel impacts are likely as roads become snow covered Saturday afternoon and evening. Slow down and allow for extra time to reach your destination. MNZ049-051>053-057>063-066>070-075>078-083>085-092-093-240000- /O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0003.210123T1800Z-210124T0900Z/ Stearns-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin- Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota- Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Blue Earth-Waseca-Steele-Faribault- Freeborn- Including the cities of St Cloud, Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Willmar, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, Blue Earth, and Albert Lea 954 AM CST Sat Jan 23 2021 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central, south central and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 3 AM CST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

A winter weather advisory starts at 3 p.m. Saturday and runs to 8 a.m. Sunday in portions of Cook County in northeastern Minnesota:

Here’s the snow update from the NWS Duluth office:

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

Minnesota road conditions can be found here. Wisconsin road conditions can be found here.

Temperature trends

Saturday highs will be in the 20s in most areas, with a few upper teens possible in far northeastern Minnesota;

Sunday highs reach the 20s in the southeastern half of Minnesota plus western Wisconsin:

There will be a mix of teens and single digits to the northwest.

Sunday wind gusts will be in the 8 to 14 mph range in the southeast, with higher gusts to the northeast and southwest:

Plotted wind gusts are in knots, with 10 knots equal to 11.5 mph.

Back to temperatures, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 20 degrees on Monday, followed by lower 20s Tuesday and mid 20s Wednesday. We could reach the upper 20s Thursday and lower 30s on Friday.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.