Nice weekend here; major winter storm along the East Coast
Arctic chill returns midweek
This will be a good weekend for outdoor activities.
Temperatures will be reasonable this weekend, and there’s ample snow cover across most of Minnesota for sledding, snowboarding and cross-county skiing:
Most of the northern half of Minnesota has one foot or more of snow cover. Parts of Cook County and eastern Lake County of northeastern Minnesota have at least two feet of snow on the ground right now. The Saturday morning snow depth at MSP airport is 7 inches.
No big storms are in our weekend forecast, but northeastern and north-central Minnesota could see a few snow showers this afternoon and evening, with light accumulations possible:
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Saturday highs will be in the 20s across most of Minnesota, with some 30s in southwestern and south-central Minnesota and a few upper teens in the far north. Most of the metro area will top out in the upper 20s Saturday afternoon, but a stray 30 cannot be ruled out. Our average Twin Cities high temp is 24 degrees this time of year.
East Coast snowstorm
A major snowstorm is hitting portions of the East Coast today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 8 a.m. EST Saturday to 5 a.m. EST Sunday:
The NWS storm severity index for this storm shows major to extreme impacts from Long Island northeastward to Maine due to heavy snow and very intense winds:
Snow is already piling up this morning:
Winds and waves are impressive:
Parts of Long Island, New York could see two feet of snow:
Boston is included in a blizzard warning:
Two feet of snow and wind gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are possible in Boston:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA 337 AM EST Sat Jan 29 2022 MAZ007-015-016-019-022-023-292145- /O.CON.KBOX.BZ.W.0001.000000T0000Z-220130T1000Z/ Eastern Essex MA-Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA- Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-Dukes MA- Including the cities of Gloucester, Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Chatham, Falmouth, Provincetown, and Vineyard Haven 337 AM EST Sat Jan 29 2022 ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 18 to 24 inches with localized 30 inches possible. Winds gusting as high as 70 mph. * WHERE...Portions of eastern, northeastern and southeastern Massachusetts. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to 5 AM EST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be extremely difficult to impossible. Very strong winds could cause extensive tree damage. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Considerable blowing and drifting snow along with near white out conditions at times. Snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour is possible at times. 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.
Parts of Maine will also see two feet of snow:
Many flights to the East Coast have been cancelled or delayed…check with airlines for details.
Temperature trends
Sunday highs will be in the teens in northern Minnesota, with 20s in central and southern Minnesota:
Winds will be light:
Back to temperatures, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the lower 30s on Monday. Our Twin Cities temp may be in the upper 20s at 1 or 2 in the morning on Tuesday, followed by falling temps. We’ll probably be in the teens during most of the daylight hours of Tuesday. Arctic chill will be with us on Wednesday through Friday, with highs in the single digits.
Weather nugget
Our average Twin Cities temperature this January is running 6.4 degrees below normal. This will be our first colder than normal month since last February. March through December of 2021 were all warmer than normal in the Twin Cities.
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.