Weekend forecast: Cold temps, lighter winds; Sat. evening snow chance

I’ll get to the weekend forecast in a moment, but I first want to mention the blizzard conditions that continue Friday afternoon in portions of the state.

Strong winds and blowing and drifting snow have prompted road closures in parts of northwestern and west-central Minnesota:

The National Weather Service has extended the blizzard warning for those areas until 3 p.m.:

The blizzard warning area, plus the light-blue shaded areas of northwestern Minnesota, have a wind chill advisory Friday afternoon through Saturday morning for wind chills as low as 40 below zero.

Here are details of the blizzard warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 1204 PM CST Fri Feb 11 2022 MNZ001>004-007-027-029-030-040-NDZ008-016-027-029-030-039-053- 121700- /O.CON.KFGF.BZ.W.0006.000000T0000Z-220211T2100Z/ /O.CON.KFGF.WC.Y.0014.220211T2100Z-220212T1700Z/ West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-West Marshall-West Becker-Wilkin- West Otter Tail-Grant-Pembina-Eastern Walsh-Grand Forks-Steele- Traill-Cass-Richland- Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada, Twin Valley, Halstad, Moorhead, Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster, Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Detroit Lakes, Breckenridge, Fergus Falls, Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Ashby, Herman, Barrett, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas, Grafton, Park River, Grand Forks, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro, Hatton, Portland, Fargo, and Wahpeton 1204 PM CST Fri Feb 11 2022 ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CST SATURDAY... * WHAT...For the Blizzard Warning, blizzard conditions. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 40 below zero. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Minnesota and northeast and southeast North Dakota. * WHEN...For the Blizzard Warning, until 3 PM CST this afternoon. For the Wind Chill Advisory, until 11 AM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. 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. Use caution while outside. Wear appropriate winter clothing. The latest road conditions for North Dakota can be found at dot.nd.gov/travel and for Minnesota at 511mn.org, or by calling 5 1 1 in either state.

A winter weather advisory continues until 4 p.m. Friday in portions of northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory in northeastern Minnesota:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 523 AM CST Fri Feb 11 2022 MNZ012-021-112330- /O.CON.KDLH.WW.Y.0006.000000T0000Z-220211T2200Z/ /O.CON.KDLH.WC.A.0001.220212T0300Z-220212T1500Z/ Northern Cook and Lake-Southern Cook- Including the cities of Isabella and Grand Marais 523 AM CST Fri Feb 11 2022 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... ...WIND CHILL WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... * WHAT...For the Winter Weather Advisory, snow and blowing snow. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. For the Wind Chill Watch, dangerously cold wind chills possible. Wind chills as low as 45 below zero. * WHERE...Northern Cook and Lake and Southern Cook Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation. * WHEN...For the Winter Weather Advisory, until 4 PM CST this afternoon. For the Wind Chill Watch, from this evening through Saturday morning. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. 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.

Minnesota road conditions can be found here. 

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.

Cold weekend temps

Your warmest coat will be appropriate this weekend.

Low temperatures early Saturday morning will be below zero:

Some spots in far northern Minnesota will be in the 20s below zero.

Saturday afternoon highs will only reach the single digits in most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Portions of southwestern Minnesota will have Saturday highs in the teens.

Saturday wind gusts will be in the 7 to 12 mph range in most areas:

Forecast gusts are in knots, with 9 knots equal to 10.4 mph.

Low temperatures Sunday morning will once again be below zero:

Highs on Sunday reach the double digits in west-central and southern Minnesota, with single digits to the north:

Winds will be light on Sunday.

Saturday p.m. snow chances

Light snow could move into portions of northwestern Minnesota by late Saturday afternoon and then spread southeastward into west-central and southern Minnesota Saturday evening.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 3 p.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday:

Some of that light snow could clip the Twin Cities metro area Saturday evening. Check forecast updates.

Snow depths

The Thursday morning snow depth map from the Minnesota State Climatology Office shows 12 inches or more of snow cover in roughly the northern half of Minnesota:

Much of Cook County and portions of Lake County in northeastern Minnesota have more than 24 inches of snow on the ground.

Twin Cities metro area snow depths are in the 4 to 7 inch range, and parts of southwestern Minnesota have little or no snow cover right now.

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.