Snow returns Christmas afternoon and evening; much warmer temps by midweek

It was a bright but cold Saturday, and similar temps are expected on Christmas Day.

Many streets and roads have slippery spots and compacted snow, so allow extra time for travel Saturday evening into Sunday. Minnesota road conditions can be found here. Wisconsin road conditions are here.

Advisories

A wind chill advisory continues Saturday evening into Sunday morning for most of Minnesota plus Wisconsin:

Wind chill temps as low as 30 below zero are possible.

Here are details of the wind chill advisory that includes the Twin Cities metro area:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 312 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 MNZ060>063-070-251100- /O.CON.KMPX.WC.Y.0023.000000T0000Z-221225T1600Z/ Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Dakota- Including the cities of Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, and Hastings 312 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero. * WHERE...Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Washington and Dakota Counties. * WHEN...Until 10 AM CST Sunday. * IMPACTS...The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

Northwestern Minnesota could see wind chill temps as low as 40 below zero.

There’s also a wind chill advisory Saturday evening into Sunday in northeastern Minnesota, where winds will be strongest:

A winter weather advisory continues Saturday evening into Sunday morning in Lake County and Cook County of northeastern Minnesota:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 257 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 MNZ012-020-021-250900- /O.CAN.KDLH.BZ.W.0002.000000T0000Z-221225T1400Z/ /O.EXB.KDLH.WW.Y.0039.000000T0000Z-221225T1400Z/ /O.CON.KDLH.WC.Y.0030.000000T0000Z-221225T1400Z/ Northern Cook and Lake-Southern Lake-Southern Cook- Including the cities of Isabella, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, and Grand Marais 257 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM CST SUNDAY... ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM CST SUNDAY... ...BLIZZARD WARNING IS CANCELLED... * WHAT...For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero. For the Winter Weather Advisory, blowing snow. Winds gusting as high as 55 mph. * WHERE...Northern Cook and Lake, Southern Lake and Southern Cook Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Grand Portage Reservation. * WHEN...Until 8 AM CST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Strong winds could cause tree damage. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Visibility may briefly be as low as 1/4 mile in blowing snow. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Use caution while traveling, especially in open areas. 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.

The previous map also shows a mix of winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and blizzard warnings in northeastern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Many people are traveling this holiday weekend. You can get forecast details for any spot in the United States by clicking on the map that’s displayed here.

Here’s how the national warning and advisory map looked Saturday evening:

Freeze warnings extend from Texas to Florida for late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Christmas snow chances

An Alberta Clipper is expected to spread snow into portions of western Minnesota late Sunday morning and early Sunday afternoon. The snow coverage will expand across much of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin as we go through the remainder of Christmas afternoon and into the evening hours.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the pressure pattern and the potential snowfall pattern from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday:

A winter weather advisory begins at 9 a.m. Sunday in Traverse and Big Stone counties of west-central Minnesota, and it begins earlier Sunday in portions of North Dakota:

:

Here are details of the advisory in Traverse County and Big Stone County:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Aberdeen SD 237 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 MNZ039-046-SDZ007-008-250445- /O.NEW.KABR.WW.Y.0026.221225T1500Z-221226T0600Z/ /O.CON.KABR.WC.Y.0022.000000T0000Z-221225T1500Z/ Traverse-Big Stone-Marshall-Roberts- Including the cities of Wheaton, Ortonville, Britton, and Sisseton 237 PM CST Sat Dec 24 2022 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST SUNDAY... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM SUNDAY TO MIDNIGHT CST SUNDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills. Wind chills from 25 below to 35 below zero. For the Winter Weather Advisory, snow expected. Total snow accumulations around 3 inches. * WHERE...In Minnesota, Traverse and Big Stone Counties. In South Dakota, Marshall and Roberts Counties. * WHEN...For the Wind Chill Advisory, until 9 AM CST Sunday. For the Winter Weather Advisory, from 9 AM Sunday to midnight CST Sunday night. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Slow down and use caution while traveling. In Minnesota, the latest road conditions can be obtained at 511mn.org, or by calling 5 1 1. In South Dakota, the latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Many locations — including the Twin Cities metro — will see snow totals of one to two inches by late Sunday. Check forecast updates, roads may become slick.

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.

Temperature trends

Low temps early Sunday morning will range from 20s below zero in far northwestern Minnesota to single-digits below zero in the Twin Cities and southeastern Minnesota.

Christmas Day highs will be mainly in the single-digits above zero:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be around 10 degrees on Monday, followed by mid 20s on Tuesday then mid to upper 30s Wednesday through Friday.

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. Saturday and Sunday.