Winter storm Sunday night, with heavy snow in some areas; snow lingers Monday to the north

Snow will spread across most of Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin Sunday evening and overnight Sunday night. The snow may mix with freezing drizzle, light freezing rain and sleet at times.

Snow will linger beyond sunrise on Monday in some areas, especially central and northern Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday:

NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid-Refresh (HRRR) model shows a similar overall pattern, with a bit more of a wintry mix to the south:

Snow amounts

The highest snow totals are expected over northern Minnesota, where many locations will see 6 or more inches of fresh snow. Here are NWS snow forecasts:

Some areas near Lake Superior could tally over one foot of snow overnight and Monday. “Today” in the following graphic refers to Sunday:

Here’s the NWS snow forecast for central and southern Minnesota, plus parts of Wisconsin, with “this afternoon” referring to Sunday afternoon:

The Twin Cities metro could see between 2 and 5 inches of snow from Sunday evening through the overnight hours of Sunday night, with the highest amounts in the far north metro. A wintry mix (including patchy freezing drizzle and sleet) is also possible at times.

Southeastern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin could see snow plus freezing drizzle and light freezing rain at times:

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

Warnings and advisories

Winter storm warnings cover northern Minnesota and portions of central Minnesota from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon:

Notice the blizzard warning for the portions of Lake and Cook counties that are closest to Lake Superior. Here are details of the blizzard warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 342 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 MNZ020-021-270945- /O.UPG.KDLH.WS.W.0008.211227T0000Z-211228T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KDLH.BZ.W.0002.211227T0600Z-211228T0000Z/ Southern Lake-Southern Cook- Including the cities of Two Harbors, Silver Bay, and Grand Marais 342 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 ...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST MONDAY... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 9 to 14 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Southern Lake and Southern Cook Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Here are details of the winter storm warning in northeastern Minnesota and far northwestern Wisconsin, which continues Sunday night and through Monday afternoon:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 342 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 MNZ019-037-038-270945- /O.CON.KDLH.WS.W.0008.211227T0000Z-211228T0000Z/ Central St. Louis-Carlton and South St. Louis-Pine- Including the cities of Hibbing, Duluth, Pine City, and Hinckley 342 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST MONDAY... * WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 10 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. * WHERE...Pine, Central St. Louis and Carlton and South St. Louis Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Bois Forte Band, Lake Vermilion area, the Fond du Lac Band and the Mille Lacs Band, Lena Lake and, Hinckley areas. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM CST Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area plus portions of Wisconsin are in a winter weather advisory Sunday evening and overnight Sunday night. The advisory started at 6 p.m. Sunday in the Twin Cities metro area and runs to 6 a.m. Monday:

The yellow outlines on the map are areas for which the NWS Twin Cities office issues warnings and advisories. The three areas will have different snow amounts from the storm, with lowest amounts to the south. Check forecast updates.

Here are details of the winter weather advisory, with Twin Cities metro info toward the end of the quote:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 301 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 ...HEAVY SNOW AND MIXED PRECIPITATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON TO MONDAY MORNING... .A potent winter system will move across Minnesota and western Wisconsin tonight and into Monday morning with a variety of different winter impacts. The heaviest snow is expected in parts of central Minnesota with 5 to 7 inches likely. The heaviest snow rates are expected this evening. Wind gusts could lead to some patchy blowing snow. Farther south, snowfall amounts are expected to be more in the 2 to 5 inch range. The final impact will be mixed precipitation across mainly far southern Minnesota. All together this could lead to a difficult day of travel for those heading home after the holiday. MNZ050>053-059>063-068>070-WIZ014>016-023>028-270515- /O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0016.211227T0000Z-211227T1200Z/ Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey- Washington-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce- Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 301 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM CST MONDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and central and east central Minnesota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 6 AM CST Monday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. 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.

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

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

Tuesday snow

We could see another few inches of snow on Tuesday. Here’s NOAA’s simulated radar for Tuesday and Tuesday evening:

Check forecast updates.

Temperature trends

Falling temps are on tap for Monday. The Twin Cities metro area may see an early morning high in the lower 30s, with temps falling through the 20s during the day and into the teens by Monday evening. Gusty winds will make it feel colder than the air temperature.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid-20s Tuesday. Very cold highs in the single digits are expected on Wednesday, followed by lower teens Thursday and mid-teens on Friday.

Highs on Wednesday may be below zero in northwestern Minnesota:

Your warmest coat, hat and gloves will be appropriate on Wednesday!

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.