Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

The first piece of our two-part storm is here. This three-day event will cover most of the Upper Midwest. In fact, it will get even bigger in size and deeper as it moves into the eastern Great Lakes region this weekend.

This storm still has all the earmarks of a potentially life-threatening blizzard for much of Minnesota Thursday and Friday.

Snow is expanding in covers on schedule across Minnesota Wednesday. Expect periods of light to moderate snowfall with visibilities between 1 and 2 miles in many areas. 

There are also pockets of heavier snowfall with visibilities of one to three quarters of a mile moving through. These heavier snowfall pockets can produce snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour at times.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km resolution model seems to have a pretty good handle on the likely progress of the snowfall zone through between 2 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

Snowfall should end west of a line from the Iron Range to the Twin Cities by around 6 a.m. Thursday. Snow will continue in northeastern Minnesota through most of Thursday.

A large area of central and northeastern Minnesota will see 5 to as much as 10 inches of snowfall by Thursday midday. I like the looks of NOAA’s NAM 3 km resolution model as a general guide to snowfall totals through Thursday.

Here’s the National Weather Service model blend snowfall map.

The Twin Cities National Weather Service office has expanded the 

 zone to include the western and southern Twin Cities counties Thursday into Saturday morning. 

Blizzard warnings run from near Alexandria, Minn., all the way into much of Iowa!

Winds are fairly tame Wednesday, but they will crank up through the day Thursday and blow hard through Friday into Saturday morning. The light fluffy snow will go airborne easily. Winds will gust over 40 mph much of Thursday and Friday.

This is one of the coldest major winter storms I can remember. We’re already seeing subzero temperatures, and that will continue through the upcoming holiday weekend.

Wind chill will plunge into the minus 30s and minus 40s the next few days across Minnesota.

This is a very dangerous weather situation for anyone caught outside for even a few minutes the next few days.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

This storm still has all the earmarks of a potentially life-threatening blizzard for much of Minnesota Thursday and Friday.


Growing storm: Blizzard warning extended to parts of Twin Cities area

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox