The chill continues, then a mild and possibly snowy weekend

Cold weather prevails through Thursday, including a couple very frigid mornings. Milder weather and a chance for snow return by the weekend.

Colder weather continues

Minnesota is still under the influence of a strong area of high pressure north of the state. 

This currently has us under a cooler wind flow, with winds from the north to northeast, and it is keeping skies predominantly clear.

Fortunately, a few more clouds did linger overnight Monday, which prevented temperatures from getting as cold as they would have been otherwise.

Tuesday morning temperatures ranged from a few negatives north to the low teens south, which is slightly above average for morning lows in late January. Tuesday highs will be below average with single-digit highs and a few below-zero readings north and teens south.

Morning clouds give way to partly sunny skies by Tuesday afternoon. Precipitation is unlikely except maybe a flurry in southeastern Minnesota, and a couple light bands of snow in the northwestern corner of the state Tuesday morning.

Under the cold pattern and clearer skies, Tuesday night will be one of our colder nights this January, with almost the entire state below zero.

Wind chills are expected to drop to minus 15 to 35 for northern Minnesota Tuesday night. Because of this, a wind chill advisory is already up for northwestern Minnesota through noon Wednesday.

Highs Wednesday stay well below average with single digits north and low teens south.

By Thursday, as the high pressure slides east, Minnesota finally gets back under a southerly wind flow, putting most of the state back in the 20s Friday, with even milder temperatures over the weekend.

Here is that forecast for the Twin Cities:

Weekend snow

The influence of high pressure also keeps Minnesota predominantly dry, with storms staying south of the state most of the week. 

As that pattern shifts and temperatures turn milder, a winter storm is looking likely for the weekend. 

Currently, the moisture with that storm appears moderate, and it could bring northern Minnesota a few inches of snow.

The forecast is more complex for the southern half of the state, because temperatures above freezing could lead to a mix of precipitation, reducing any potential snow amounts.

We will keep you updated on the timing and forecast precipitation as the storm approaches!

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.