Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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Clear skies overnight made for an arctic start Friday morning, but milder air will have temperatures rising quickly throughout the day. Northern Minnesota sees light snow later in the day. 

The arctic air over Minnesota took an even more frigid turn overnight as clear skies and light-to-calm winds allowed temperatures to plummet even further.

Almost all of Minnesota is starting Friday in the negative teens and 20s, with a few readings over 30 below zero in central and northern Minnesota. 

Fortunately, winds are calm in much of central Minnesota, minimizing wind chill problems, but when there are even light winds, temperatures feel much colder. 

For example, Fergus Fall is at minus 27 as of 7 a.m. but with winds of only 6 mph it feels like minus 43. Because of the dangerous cold, all of the state is still under a wind chill advisory Friday morning for wind chills to minus 35 — and much of western Minnesota is under a wind chill warning for wind chills that could go to 50 below zero. 

The only place not as cold Friday morning is southwestern Minnesota, where winds are becoming southerly, putting morning temperatures 

 in the negative single digits. This southerly flow spreads across the state by midday, and temperatures start climbing. 

By the afternoon, southern Minnesota will be back above zero, with negative single digits north.  Temperatures continue to rise overnight, so by the end of Friday, most of the state should be above zero.

Here is that temperature trend for the Twin Cities (in red), showing the high coming at the end of the day (wind chill forecast shown in blue):

The same system brings a light snow across northern Minnesota by Friday evening, into overnight. 

Although the snow will be light, with most places seeing under 2 inches, the winds turn gusty by late Friday, with gusts over 30 mph for much of  the state and possibly over 40 mph west. 

That could produce blowing snow and limited visibility despite the snow being light. 

Saturday will be mild before another temperature dive.  

That extended forecast will be updated around 9 a.m.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Nicole Mitchell 

Author

Clear skies overnight made for an arctic start Friday morning, but milder air will have temperatures rising quickly throughout the day. Northern Minnesota sees light snow late in the day.

A frigid start, then temperatures rise the entire day

Go Deeper.

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