Mild through Thursday, but cold is on the way

Snow overnight and early this morning accumulated 1 to 3 inches in parts of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

Here are some snowfall reports tallied by the National Weather Service in Duluth.

Sunshine boosted temperatures into the middle 40s in central and southwest Minnesota, while a persistent cloud cover kept the mercury in the 20s in northeast Minnesota and Wisconsin.

A light mist deposited a glaze on roadways in western Wisconsin this afternoon. At 4 p.m. it was 26 degrees at Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

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The high of 45 degrees at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this afternoon was the warmest temperature since the maximum temperature of 51 degrees on December 15, 2014.

Here's an example of how the sun exposure can eat into a snow covered landscape in Eden Prairie.

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Several hours of sun exposure today facing south. Photo:Craig Edwards

The north facing slope still has a two-inch snow pack.

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North facing slope. Image:Craig Edwards

Temperatures on Tuesday will be several degrees cooler than those experienced around the Twin Cities today.

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The curtain has gone up on the blizzard in the Northeast, including New York City and Boston.

The weather radar has lit up with a massive area of snow that will become heavy and wind driven tonight.

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Screen capture shortly after 4 p.m. CST. Image:Wunderground.com

The water vapor satellite image from late afternoon depicted the expansive cloud shield with this intensifying low pressure off the East Coast.

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Image:NOAA

Snow will be difficult to measure due to expected winds gusting over 60 miles per hour on Tuesday.

Here's a look at the snowfall accumulation projected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center.

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Image:NOAA

Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph will result in white outs and closed highways. Gusts on Tuesday afternoon are expected to top out around 60 mph.

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Wind gust forecast for 1 p.m. EST Tuesday. Image:National Weather Service.

Snowfall totals for the event will approach two feet in quite a large area of the Northeast.

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Image:Weather Prediction Center

Back in Minnesota we will experience rather quiet weather, but colder temperatures are in store as we move through the work week.

Right now I'm feeling a little gun-shy about predicting snow on Saturday. MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner will track the snow chances for Minnesota as we move through the week.

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Maximum temperatures for Saturday.

The Climate Prediction Center lacks confidence of predicting either above or below normal temperatures for our region for February. Snow birds may appreciate a trip to Arizona or south Florida.

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