Snow tapers; quiet weekend ahead, near-normal temps

Snow slowed commutes Thursday morning in the Twin Cities metro area, southeastern Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin. The snow is now tapering off across portions of Minnesota.

The weekend weather looks quiet. Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will sees highs in the 20s on Saturday with metro area temperatures expected to reach the upper 20s.

How much snow?

As of noon Thursday, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported 3.1 inches of snow from our latest storm, with light snow continuing. There have been some 4 and 5-inch snow reports from the southeast metro:

Some of the totals on the plot were taken around 6 a.m. Thursday and final storm totals will be higher at those locations.

Snow reports from Wednesday evening through midday Thursday are highest in southeastern Minnesota and into Wisconsin:

You can see updated snow reports here. You can pan and zoom the map at the linked site to get snow totals and then click on any data point to discover the time and location of the snow measurement.

How much more?

Periods of snow will continue into Thursday afternoon in much of eastern Minnesota, with steadier snow in Wisconsin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. this Thursday:

Additional accumulations Thursday afternoon are expected to be less than 1 inch in the Twin Cities metro area, with another 1 to 2 inches in parts of southeastern Minnesota. Several additional inches are expected across much of Wisconsin.

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.

Advisories and warnings

A winter weather advisory continues until 3 p.m. Thursday in the northwestern part of the Twin Cities metro area, with a winter storm warning in the southeastern parts of the metro area plus southeastern Minnesota and parts of west-central Wisconsin:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory in the northwest half of the metro area:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1154 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 MNZ060>062-192100- /O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-230119T2100Z/ Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey- Including the cities of Minneapolis, Blaine, and St Paul 1154 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. * WHERE...Hennepin, Anoka and Ramsey Counties. * WHEN...Until 3 PM CST this afternoon. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Here are details of the winter storm warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1154 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 MNZ063-070-078-WIZ023>026-028-192100- /O.CON.KMPX.WS.W.0003.000000T0000Z-230119T2100Z/ Washington-Dakota-Goodhue-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Stillwater, Hastings, Red Wing, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, and Eau Claire 1154 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. * WHERE...Portions of east central and southeast Minnesota and west central Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 3 PM CST this afternoon. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

A winter weather advisory continues until 6 p.m. in portions of northeastern Minnesota and a winter storm warning continues through Thursday evening in parts of northwestern Wisconsin:

Here are details of the advisory in northeastern Minnesota:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Duluth MN 1041 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 MNZ037-WIZ001-200000- /O.CON.KDLH.WW.Y.0006.000000T0000Z-230120T0000Z/ Carlton and South St. Louis-Douglas- Including the cities of Duluth and Superior 1041 AM CST Thu Jan 19 2023 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...In Minnesota, Carlton and South St. Louis County. In Wisconsin, Douglas County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Fond du Lac Band. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. 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.

Quiet weekend weather

We aren’t expecting any big storms or temperature extremes this weekend. The average Twin Cities high temperature is 23 degrees this time of year. Metro area highs are expected to reach the upper 20s on Saturday.

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Saturday highs in the 20s:

Winds will be fairly light, so Saturday afternoon wind chills will be mainly in the teens above zero:

Sunday high temps will be in the 20s:

Sunday afternoon wind chill temps will be in the teens:

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.