Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Wake-up call: Stretch of subzero mornings set to start this weekend

Expect a little more snow Thursday

Canadian model temperature animation
Canadian model temperature animation between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday
Environment Canada, via Tropical Tidbits

Here comes the next arctic breeze, Minnesota.

An arctic front blows through Minnesota Friday. The frigid air mass oozing into Minnesota this weekend may rival the coldest air of the season — minus 12 degrees — by Monday morning around the Twin Cities.

The Canadian model temperature output (see the graphic at the top of this post) shows a narrow wedge of Pacific air with temperatures in the lower 30s in southern Minnesota near the Twin Cities Friday morning. Then watch the arctic air mass pulse subzero temperatures through the weekend into Monday morning.

The inbound air mass is nowhere near record-level cold, which is around minus 30 degrees for the Twin Cities next weekend. But it looks like a second pulse of arctic air next week could deliver a string of five or six subzero nights to most of Minnesota through next Thursday morning.

temperature outlook
Temperature outlook into Monday morning
NOAA, via Iowa Emergency Management

Forecast models suggest we may see temperatures moderate back into the 20s to even 30 degrees (above zero) by next Friday.

Light snow overnight into Friday morning

Another clipper sails south ahead of the arctic plunge. Snow in northwestern Minnesota’s Red River Valley late afternoon Thursday will sail into the Twin Cities by late Thursday night. There may be some lingering snow for Friday morning’s commute.

Overall snowfall totals of 1 to 2 inches look common, with some locally higher totals favoring the northern half of Minnesota.

Snowfall projection for Minnesota 2
Snowfall projection for Minnesota Thursday night into Friday.
Twin Cities National Weather Service office