Wintry mix Thursday night, another storm Friday

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This is one of those times when it’s good to remember that Minnesota is about 400 miles tall. It’s about 405 miles from the Northwest angle to the Iowa border. It’s also 340 miles from the Red River at Grand Forks to the tip of Minnesota’s Arrowhead near Grand Portage.

So there is no single forecast for Minnesota. In fact, it takes six National Weather Service offices to cover all parts of the state.

If you’re in central and northern Minnesota you’ll enjoy a quiet and milder forecast as we head through Friday. Highs will range from the upper 20s northwest to the mid-30s south.

If you’re traveling through southern Minnesota Friday, I hope your tires and driving gloves are in great shape.

A winter weather advisory is up for most of southern Minnesota Friday. 

And winter storm warnings are up for a few Iowa counties just south of Fairmont, Minn., and Albert Lea, Minn.

Overall snowfall totals between 3 and 7 inches are likely by late Friday along the Interstate 90 corridor into northern Iowa. Snowfall will gradually be lighter as you move north toward the greater Twin Cities. Little or no snow accumulation is likely in most of the Twin Cities. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Global Forecast System model (Kuchera method) paints snowfall totals of 6 inches or more across southner Minnesota with this system. I won’t be surprised to see some local 8-inch totals around Fairmont or Albert Lea.

Eastern Minnesota may see a light wintry mix Saturday. Then a bigger, slower storm looks like it has the potential to dump some heavy snowfall across central and northern Minnesota.

Right now the early forecast models suggest the freezing (rain-snow) zone could set up near the Twin Cities.

Stay tuned. The forecast and weather pattern look messy next week.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The state’s next snowstorm aims at the south. It’ll be a quiet Friday for weather in central and northern Minnesota.

Snowy I-90 corridor set for 3-7 inches; little Twin Cities accumulation

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