Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Expect 5-9 inches snow overnight in SE Minnesota, 3-6 in Twin Cities

Warnings, advisories posted across southern Minnesota

MN snow
Forecast snowfall late Wednesday into Thursday
National Weather Service

Snow will fall mainly Wednesday evening into Thursday morning leaving behind more than 6 inches of snow for parts of southern Minnesota. Temperatures will be cooler Friday into the weekend.

Storm warnings, advisories set to kick in

Winter storm warnings take effect by 6 p.m. Wednesday in southwestern Minnesota and by 9 p.m. in southeastern Minnesota. Winter weather advisories go into effect at 12 a.m. Thursday for most other areas, including the Twin Cities.

warnings advisories
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for Wednesday night into Thursday
National Weather Service

Snow will start in the early evening in southwestern Minnesota and spread north and east into the overnight with snowfall likely reaching the Twin Cities are by 10 p.m. Wednesday to 12 a.m. Thursday. The heaviest snow will fall around midnight into the early morning hours.

timing
Forecast timing of snowfall probabilities and maximum wind gusts
National Weather Service

While we’ll see lingering lighter snow showers into midday and the early afternoon hours Thursday, the bulk of the accumulating snowfall will wrap up by the mid morning Thursday.

The heaviest totals will be along Interstate 90 from Worthington to Albert Lea to Rochester with less, but still significant snowfall in the Twin Cities area.

MN snow
Forecast snowfall late Wednesday into Thursday
National Weather Service

Cooler temps ahead

We won’t quite see an arctic blast, but cooler temperatures will run a little closer to normal Friday into the weekend with highs mainly in the 20s south and teens north. Those readings will still largely be slightly above normal.

fri highs 9a
Forecast high temperatures Friday
National Weather Service

It’s been a mild January thus far. Temperatures are running 13.4 degrees above normal in International Falls, 10.7 degrees above in Duluth and 7.6 degrees above normal in the Twin Cities.

Northwestern Minnesota hasn’t been quite as anomalously warm, with temperatures averaging about 3.1 degrees above normal in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

month to date T anom
Temperature anomalies (difference from normal) month to date for January
Midwest Regional Climate Center

The models do bring in colder air by the middle of next week but differ on how cold it could get.

850 T loop
Forecast temperature anomalies late this week into next week: potential for colder temperatures ahead
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather

Here’s a comparison of two models with rather different temperature outcomes for Friday next week:

t compare
Comparison of forecast midday temperatures for Jan. 27 by two computer models
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather