A COLD BLAST OF AIR TO END THE WEEK
A cold front has come crashing into the Northland and has dragged in very cold temperatures from the north! We started out the morning hours in the balmy 30° range, thus temperatures have come crashing well into the single digits and teens during the afternoon hours. A very breezy northwest wind has given shape to wind chills falling well below 0° for the rest of Thursday. Lake effect snow has been taking over portions of the South Shore along with Gogebic and Ontonagon counties due to the cold air cruising off of Lake Superior. Only 1-3" of snow will occur for most spots picking up the lake effect snowfall.
A Wind Chill Advisory has been issued for the far northeast sector of Minnesota as frostbite will be possible in less than 10 minutes! Anywhere along St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties may see wind chill temperatures drop as low as -30° Friday morning. Actual air temperatures will be hovering in the single digits below 0° for most cities on Friday morning. Have any outdoor plans or errands to run Friday afternoon? It is best that you bundle up! We will remain sunny but high temperatures will only reach the upper single digits and teens during the afternoon.
The high pressure bringing the surge of cold air on Friday will move on to the east with time as we head into the weekend. This will also be in conjunction with an incoming storm system developing to our west. A southerly breeze will develop and this will drag in moisture chances over the weekend. The incoming system will bring the best potential for snow from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. The heaviest snow from this system will affect locations south of the Northland.
Right now, the best chance for the heaviest snow will be for our southern communities. About 2-5" is likely from central and eastern Minnesota, along with northwest Wisconsin. The Twin Ports will most likely be on the fringe of 2-5" of snow, or closer to 1-2" with accumulation. Not much snow is in the forecast for northern portions of Minnesota. We will keep you up to date as we track this system because it still has time to shift further south or north! Overall, temperatures will hold steady in the upper teens and lower 20s for both Saturday and Sunday.
High pressure will circulate along the Northland and surrounding spots for Sunday afternoon through Monday and Tuesday of next week. Therefore, the early portion of next week remains quiet at the moment! High temperatures will be posted on either side of 20° with low temperatures falling to both sides of 0°.
Another storm system will eject out of the Rockies and will try and bring more snow to the Upper Midwest Wednesday and Thursday of next week! Exact details on the timing and potential for this snow remain unclear at this time but there is certainly potential for more snowfall middle to late next week.
Chief Meteorologist Sam Gabrielli
