NEXT Weather Alert: Gusty winds, single-digit temps make for frigid Saturday
MINNEAPOLIS — After the snow moved through southwestern Minnesota, Saturday will see frigid temperatures.
Saturday is a NEXT Weather Alert day due to the cold temperatures and wind, which will bring the feels-like temperatures down to -45 in some places. In the metro, temps will hold steady in the single digits, but will quickly drop near zero into midnight.
Off-and-on light snow will continue on Saturday, especially in southern and western Minnesota, including the metro. Friday evening's snow brought about 3.5 inches to Red Wing, 1.5 inches to Lakeville, and around .2 inches in Eagan. Any new accumulation on Saturday will stay under an inch.
A look at the snow totals so far from our NEXT Weather Watchers. We knew the most would fall across SE Minnesota, but man, this was a tricky one for the rest of us! Focus now shifts to the wind & cold. pic.twitter.com/RytAwoSjDe
— Adam Del Rosso (@AdamDWeather) January 13, 2024
Combined with the wind, blowing snow could drop visibility on the roads through the afternoon. Gusts could get up to 35 mph and make it feel as cold as -45 degrees in southwestern Minnesota and -30 around the metro in the evening. Wind chill advisories are in effect through Sunday morning.
MORE: A winter emergency kit could save your life on a frigid cold night
The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 216 crashes between 6 a.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 14 of which resulted in an injury. Two crashes — one in Beltrami County and one in Lyon County — were fatal.
For the first time in the season, low temperatures will drop below zero degrees, and will stay there into early next week. Then it'll warm up as the week goes on.
In Red Wing, the return of snow and cold was unceremonious, to say the least."I don't like it, I could have held off until May," said Mike Hill as he snowplowed his driveway. "I was hopeful – very hopeful – I thought possibly, I wouldn't have to touch a snowblower. Oh well, you live in Minnesota, so you get to do this."
Hill's street was lined with neighbors doing the same — shoveling and plowing out the driveways that've been left largely untouched since last winter.
"I love Minnesota, I love the snow, but God, I do not miss shoveling at all," said Drew Sexton. "My back shows how out of shape I am as a person. It's a good work out, but yeah, I don't miss this at all."