Winter storm warnings in northern Minnesota

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Many Minnesotans woke up to the sight of flocked trees this morning. Fog overnight deposited a coating on the tree branches.

Fog will linger in some areas today. Fog is also expected to redevelop in many areas this evening and linger into New Year’s Day morning. 

Some locations could see occasional mist/drizzle and patchy freezing drizzle and flurries this Saturday and Saturday evening. One forecast model also shows periods of light snow in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin late Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. 

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News 

Our average Twin Cities high temp is 25 degrees this time of year. Metro area highs will reach the 30s Saturday afternoon and we’ll share 30s with roughly the southern half of Minnesota and most of western Wisconsin.

Sunday highs will be in the 20s across much of northern and central Minnesota, with lower 30s elsewhere in Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Sunday afternoon wind chill temps will be in the teens in much of northern Minnesota, with 20s in southern Minnesota:

Parts of northwestern Minnesota will have single-digit wind chills Sunday afternoon.

Back to high temps, Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the lower 30s Monday and Tuesday, followed by lower 20s Wednesday and Thursday then mid 20s on Friday.

Computer models show a low pressure system moving out of Colorado late Sunday night and then tracking northeastward Monday and Tuesday, spreading precipitation over much of the upper Midwest. There will be mainly snow in some areas and a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain in other areas.

The models don’t agree on the exact storm track and the temperature profile in the atmosphere Monday and Tuesday. As a result, the locations for the most significant snow accumulations vary from model to model.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System (GFS) model shows the following precipitation pattern from Monday through Tuesday night:

The GFS model has the band of heaviest snow from southwestern and west-central Minnesota through central Minnesota and into northwestern Wisconsin. The Twin Cities metro area would ride the southern edge of that heaviest snow band, with the north metro receiving more snow than the south metro.

Other forecast models shift the heavier snow band southward a bit. Check forecast updates as we get closer to Monday. This will be an impactful winter storm in many areas.

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The NWS has issued a winter storm watch with various Monday start times across much of central and southern Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin:

Here are some start times for the winter storm watch, which will run through Tuesday:

 Winter storm watch begins in southwestern Minnesota

 Winter storm watch begins in Willmar, Mankato, Albert Lea and in the southwestern part of the Twin Cities metro area.

 Winter storm watch begins in the remainder of the metro area and up toward St. Cloud and also in west-central Wisconsin.

 and continues through Tuesday evening from Brainerd and Hinckley to Duluth and into northwestern Wisconsin:

Here are details of the southwestern Minnesota portion of the winter storm watch:

Here are details of the portion of the watch that includes Mankato and Albert Lea, plus the southwestern part of the Twin Cities metro area:

Here are details of the watch that includes the remainder of the metro area plus St. Cloud and parts of west-central Wisconsin:

Here are details of the Brainerd, Duluth and northwestern Wisconsin portion of the winter storm watch:

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The Minnesota State Climatology Office has compiled a list of the 

Top Five Weather Events of 2022 in Minnesota

I was among the Minnesota meteorologists who voted this year.

The final vote tally has been completed and here are the results as posted by the Climatology Office, along with their narrative for each event and links to more info:

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.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

We have an update on our weekend weather plus a look at the potential Monday-Tuesday winter storm. The top five weather events of 2022 are also revisited.

Melissa Townsend 

National Weather Service

NOAA, via Tropicaltidbits.com

A dry and rocky creek bed below a waterfall that is not flowing

Milder weekend temps, areas of fog and a flurry/drizzle chance; Update on Monday's storm

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