NEXT Weather Alert: Friday may bring metro's biggest snowfall of season, Saturday ushers in brutal cold
MINNEAPOLIS — Friday will be a NEXT Weather Alert day due to possible heavy snowfall, as will Saturday due to frigid temperatures the likes Minnesota hasn't seen in quite some time.
RELATED: Minnesota to experience coldest air mass felt in more than a year
Thursday's Forecast
Aside from some lingering snow showers across northern Minnesota on Thursday, it's a fairly quiet weather day across the area. Enjoy it, because it won't last.
Expect a cloudy sky with temperatures hovering in the mid-teens Tuesday afternoon before dropping into the lower teens at night.
Friday's Snow And Cold
Wind chills will stay in the single digits right through Friday morning in the Twin Cities, but it's a different story in western Minnesota. Feels-like temps will range between minus-10 to minus-20, with winds gusting at speeds up to 40 mph by the afternoon.
Like Tuesday, the core of the next storm passes to the south, but recent trends have brought it farther north — meaning snow for the metro on Friday.
Winter storm warnings are in effect in southeastern Minnesota Friday into Saturday morning due to whiteout conditions from the possibility of 6-10 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph. Some metro areas, like Dakota and Scott counties, are included in the winter storm warning.
School Closings & Snow Emergency Information
A winter storm watch is in effect in the metro due to 3-6 inches of snow, but there is some uncertainty with track, amounts and start time.
The NEXT Weather team is confident the heaviest snow will be in southwestern Minnesota, with the steadiest and heaviest snow falling later Friday, potentially impacting parts of the evening commute.
Plenty of blue boxes on the January snowfall calendar..but not much snow. That may change tomorrow.
— Joseph Dames (@JosephForecast) January 11, 2024
Yesterday both @WCCOShaffer and @MikeAugustyniak updated you on changes for our Friday snow forecast. Those look more and more likely. Discussing the ❄️🌨️forecast at 9 AM. pic.twitter.com/DmdZZAZdxP
Brutal Cold Arrives On Saturday
Even more certain is the widespread wind and cold air behind the storm, with lows dropping below zero for the first time this season Saturday night through early next week.
Highs will struggle to climb to near zero on Sunday and Monday.
RELATED: Minnesota HVAC repair services prepared for busy weekend during blast of cold air
The last time Minnesota felt a subzero high was on Dec. 23, 2022, according to NEXT Weather Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak.
This arctic air mass will then spread across most of the United States. CBS News reports most of the Midwest and the Great Plains will experience feels-like temps near minus-20, including Chicago, Kansas and parts of Montana.