Bright and milder this weekend; winter storm watch Monday
We're ready for some warmer weather, and it's on the way!
Highs today will poke into the lower 20s over parts of southern Minnesota, with teens to the north:
Mid 20s are on tap for most of Minnesota Sunday afternoon:
Southwestern Minnesota could see some upper 20s.
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Highs in the lower 30s are expected in southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities Monday and Tuesday, with upper 30s to around 40 Wednesday through Friday.
You'll want to do your sledding and cross country skiing this weekend, because snow conditions will deteriorate during the coming week.
Ice and snow on Monday
A low-pressure system will spread moisture over Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Monday.
With surface temps slightly below freezing and warmer temps aloft, a mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow is possible on Monday, changing to mostly snow by Monday evening.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential mix of precipitation:
In the forecast loop, blue areas are where the precipitation is likely to be snow for that time in the loop. Purple areas are sleet or freezing rain. Green areas are likely to be rain, but the rain could freeze at ground level if surface temps are cold enough.
The color chart on the lower right of the loop refers to the strength of the radar signal returning to the radar, not inches of snow!
In the Twin Cities metro area, we could see one-quarter inch of ice accumulation on Monday, and several inches of snow from Monday into early Tuesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch from southwestern and south-central Minnesota through the Twin Cities metro area and Isanti and Chisago counties:
In east-central Minnesota and the Twin Cities, the winter storm watch runs from 6 a.m. Monday to noon Tuesday.
In south-central Minnesota, the watch goes from midnight Sunday night to 6 a.m. Tuesday.
In far southwestern Minnesota, the winter storm watch starts at 6 p.m. Sunday and continues through Monday evening.
Here are some watch details, from the NWS:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
409 AM CST SAT JAN 14 2017
...WINTER STORM TO IMPACT SOUTH CENTRAL INTO EAST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...
.A WINTER STORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY MORNING FROM THE I-35 CORRIDOR WEST TO A LINE FROM REDWOOD
FALLS TO CAMBRIDGE. A WINTRY MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET...AND
SNOW IS EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR
SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ALONG WITH THE THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT ICE
ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF A QUARTER OF AN INCH. SIGNIFICANT
TRAVEL IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. IN ADDITION...IF
SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPERIENCED...SCATTERED POWER
OUTAGES COULD OCCUR AS WELL DUE TO ICE ACCUMULATION ON TREES AND
POWER LINES.
MNZ051>053-058>063-065>070-075>077-141815-
/O.NEW.KMPX.WS.A.0001.170116T1200Z-170117T1800Z/
SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-
WASHINGTON-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA-NICOLLET-
LE SUEUR-RICE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF ELK RIVER, CAMBRIDGE, CENTER CITY,
LITCHFIELD, MONTICELLO, MINNEAPOLIS, BLAINE, ST PAUL, STILLWATER,
OLIVIA, HUTCHINSON, GAYLORD, CHASKA, SHAKOPEE, HASTINGS,
ST PETER, LE SUEUR, AND FARIBAULT
409 AM CST SAT JAN 14 2017
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.
* A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN...SNOW...AND SLEET ARE POSSIBLE FROM
MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.
* TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 6 INCHES AND ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP
TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE.
* SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY ARE POSSIBLE.
* PLAN ON DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS...INCLUDING DURING THE
EVENING COMMUTE ON MONDAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
We'll keep you updated as we get closer to Monday.
Already icy central U.S.
Freezing rain is already causing problems in parts of our country. Ice storm warnings are in effect this weekend from the Texas panhandle through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and southern Illinois:
A winter storm watch for a mix of ice and snow starts Sunday afternoon in Nebraska, and begins Sunday night in much of Iowa.
Be sure to check the weather if you're driving south this weekend!
The NWS has clickable warning maps for detailed weather updates at any location.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.