We’re in the grip of an arctic air outbreak for Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will warm up dramatically for the weekend with another chance at snow showers Saturday.
Arctic air, then a weekend warmup
It’s cold and it’s going to get colder. Cold weather advisories are posted for northern Minnesota through early Thursday. We’ll have some lingering flurries and light snow showers Wednesday morning. Temperatures will fall through the day Wednesday.
By mid-afternoon, most will be in the single digits or below zero.
Forecast temperatures by 3 p.m. Wednesday
National Weather Service
Winds will be the nagging issue, blowing from the northwest at 10 to 25 mph. That will create some brutal wind chills Wednesday and Thursday. The coldest wind chills will be overnight Wednesday into early Thursday.
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Forecast wind chills early Thursday morning
National Weather Service
Actual air temperatures Wednesday night will dip into subzero territory across the state with readings as cold as 20 below zero or colder in northwestern Minnesota. These are easily the coldest readings this season, so far.
Forecast lows Wednesday night
National Weather Service
High temperatures Thursday will not get out of the single digits in southern Minnesota and will remain below zero all day in northern Minnesota.
Forecast highs Thursday
National Weather Service
We’re in for a pretty quick warmup, though, with temperatures near 20 degrees returning for southern Minnesota Friday.
We’re watching a system that could bring a wintry mix, but primarily snow, to southern Minnesota Friday night into Saturday.
Forecast precipitation and type 12 p.m. Friday through 12 a.m. Sunday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather
There’s still a spread in the models in terms of amounts and placement, but anywhere from a slushy coating to a few inches is possible from across southern Minnesota into potentially the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin.
Different forecast model scenarios for Friday night into Saturday snowfall
WeatherBELL Analytics
That system will be riding the storm track as warmer air pushes back into the region. We’ll replace the arctic chill with anomalous warmth again for the weekend.
Forecast temperature anomalies (departure from normal) Wednesday into Saturday
NOAA, via Pivotal Weather
High temps will likely be above freezing both Sunday and Monday for the southern half of Minnesota.
Forecast highs Sunday
National Weather Service
Some forecast models then produce another storm system early next week with rain and snow potentially developing Sunday night into Monday and Monday night.
There’s a very wide range of possibilities with that system right now. The most hopeful for snow is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model:
Forecast precipitation and type 6 a.m. Monday through 12 p.m. Tuesday
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, via Pivotal Weather
