Minnesota's winter storm isn't letting up yet
A winter cyclist carefully rides north on Park Avenue in south Minneapolis on Thursday.
Ben Hovland | MPR News
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It's been quite a winter storm so far. Since the beginning of the storm, the state patrol reported 155 crashes and 220 spinouts.
Much of the state is in a winter storm warning until this evening, and MPR News Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard is back with the details. Plus he has news of potentially another storm next week.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: And of course, the storm is our top story. Over the past two days alone, the State Patrol reported 155 crashes and 220 spinouts. So we're gearing up for day three, where much of the state is in a winter storm warning until this evening. Sven Sundgaard joins us right now, our meteorologist.
Welcome back.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Thanks for having me again. How are you doing?
CATHY WURZER: I am fine. So far so good. I see that our friends in Northeastern Minnesota are getting a bit of a break. They've just scaled back the winter storm warning to winter weather advisories?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, all that in the course of the morning, blizzard warning to winter storm warning to now winter weather advisory that should end at 6:00 PM. The snow really dwindling here in the last couple of hours, just some bands of snow west of Silver Bay. So most of Duluth and the Shore actually seeing a break from really any snowfall at the moment.
CATHY WURZER: OK. I'm sure that's going to maybe-- the snow machine may regenerate here a little bit. But let's find out what has fallen so far.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, we have 29 inches in Finland so far. We're getting close to 3 feet when it's all said and done. 28 inches in Wales. Beaver Bay, 28 inches. Several places in Duluth nearing 2 feet now. 23 inches in Lester Park. Gary-New Duluth, 27 inches there.
And then you get outside of that area, 9.6 in International Falls is still pretty respectable. 7 inches in Moorhead. And then in the Twin Cities, generally about 2, 3, 4 inches. 4 inches in Inver Grove Heights. 3 inches in Ramsey.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Since this is a really deep low-- you've explained this quite well before-- it's rotating counterclockwise, right? So I know where some of us are in a dry slot now. Does that mean that it's all over or we're going to get whacked again here later in the afternoon?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah. No, it's not done yet, but the worst is definitely behind us. We're going to continue to see these snow bands rotate around the low, which is now centered just north of the Twin Cities. So that's making for lighter winds, too, as you're closer to that center. But we're going to see those snow showers continuously get lighter and be fewer and farther between. So we will see some bands probably get going again.
Additional totals through about 6:00, 7:00 PM this evening, we're talking about an inch or less in the Twin Cities. 1 to 3 inches, though, still in Western Minnesota. They're still one of the more persistent bands right now. And then the North Shore area, that band of snow really dwindling, so probably only about another inch during the day today for parts of the North Shore.
And it's relatively mild too. We haven't had a lot of time to talk about temperatures because there's been so much else going on, but low to mid-30s. That's why it's been this heavy, wet snow. I was just looking at the water content in that 2 feet of snow in Duluth, almost 2 inches of water in that.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah. That's a lot. Normally, you get that dry, fluffy kind of snow. And the gustier winds are also in Southwestern Minnesota today too. That's where we're seeing some near 40 mile per hour gusts. Otherwise, the winds as well along the North Shore and all of Eastern Minnesota lightning up.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. OK. Well, this has been-- I wonder where this ranks in terms of storms, ultimately?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, for the Duluth area, this will probably go down in one of their certainly top 10 or 20. I'd have to look. But even for that area, which is our snow capital of the state, it's going to go down in a pretty high up ranking, I believe.
Twin Cities, not so much. We've seen certainly less. We're going to end up with probably a grand total of 3 to 6 inches in the Twin Cities, but you will have never seen all of that at any one time because we've been seeing so much melting and compacting between these bursts of snow.
CATHY WURZER: Well, 3 to 6 is respectable. OK. So behind this, what happens?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: So we still have got some more snow showers to get through yet. I think tonight, the snow will be concentrated to the west still. There's going to be this band that we're seeing right now kind of continue out around Morris, Montevideo, New Ulm, another 1 to 3 inches there, probably an inch or less, though, for the rest of the state. And then we'll still see some of these snow showers rotating through Friday into early Saturday, but again, lighter and lighter amounts, under an inch probably tomorrow, probably a half inch only tomorrow night into early Saturday.
So when you look at total additional snowfall today through Saturday-- because it will get lighter and lighter-- probably about another 1 or 2 inches in the Twin Cities, but still pockets of 4 to 6 total more in Western Minnesota, again, those areas that I've been talking about, Granite Falls, Morris, New Ulm, that western part of the state which hasn't seen as much of the snow until this most recent 24 hours.
CATHY WURZER: Hmm. OK. So we have a white Christmas guaranteed.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yep. It's going to be--
CATHY WURZER: And then--
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, because cold is coming in behind this, so we're not going to melt it. It's also going to be potentially one of the coldest Christmases in about five years. We're going to probably be below zero. So still in the 30s tomorrow, 20s Saturday, teens in Western Minnesota. Sunday, teens and single digits for highs.
But by Monday, sub-zero high temperatures in Northwestern Minnesota, probably only around 10 in the Twin Cities, single-digit highs in the north. And then Monday night, we're talking about temperatures teens below zero in Northwestern Minnesota, probably single digits below 0 in the Twin Cities.
We've been talking about this all week. It'll be our first sub-zero reading in the Twin Cities of the season. And wind chills drop below zero Sunday. And early Tuesday morning, wind chills will be probably 15 to 30 below. And it looks like-- this is pretty remarkable too-- all of next week, statewide the wind chill stays below zero.
CATHY WURZER: OK. We've got that to look forward to. Fantastic. All right. Sven Sundgaard, thank you.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: You're very welcome, Cathy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Welcome back.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Thanks for having me again. How are you doing?
CATHY WURZER: I am fine. So far so good. I see that our friends in Northeastern Minnesota are getting a bit of a break. They've just scaled back the winter storm warning to winter weather advisories?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, all that in the course of the morning, blizzard warning to winter storm warning to now winter weather advisory that should end at 6:00 PM. The snow really dwindling here in the last couple of hours, just some bands of snow west of Silver Bay. So most of Duluth and the Shore actually seeing a break from really any snowfall at the moment.
CATHY WURZER: OK. I'm sure that's going to maybe-- the snow machine may regenerate here a little bit. But let's find out what has fallen so far.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, we have 29 inches in Finland so far. We're getting close to 3 feet when it's all said and done. 28 inches in Wales. Beaver Bay, 28 inches. Several places in Duluth nearing 2 feet now. 23 inches in Lester Park. Gary-New Duluth, 27 inches there.
And then you get outside of that area, 9.6 in International Falls is still pretty respectable. 7 inches in Moorhead. And then in the Twin Cities, generally about 2, 3, 4 inches. 4 inches in Inver Grove Heights. 3 inches in Ramsey.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Since this is a really deep low-- you've explained this quite well before-- it's rotating counterclockwise, right? So I know where some of us are in a dry slot now. Does that mean that it's all over or we're going to get whacked again here later in the afternoon?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah. No, it's not done yet, but the worst is definitely behind us. We're going to continue to see these snow bands rotate around the low, which is now centered just north of the Twin Cities. So that's making for lighter winds, too, as you're closer to that center. But we're going to see those snow showers continuously get lighter and be fewer and farther between. So we will see some bands probably get going again.
Additional totals through about 6:00, 7:00 PM this evening, we're talking about an inch or less in the Twin Cities. 1 to 3 inches, though, still in Western Minnesota. They're still one of the more persistent bands right now. And then the North Shore area, that band of snow really dwindling, so probably only about another inch during the day today for parts of the North Shore.
And it's relatively mild too. We haven't had a lot of time to talk about temperatures because there's been so much else going on, but low to mid-30s. That's why it's been this heavy, wet snow. I was just looking at the water content in that 2 feet of snow in Duluth, almost 2 inches of water in that.
CATHY WURZER: Wow.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah. That's a lot. Normally, you get that dry, fluffy kind of snow. And the gustier winds are also in Southwestern Minnesota today too. That's where we're seeing some near 40 mile per hour gusts. Otherwise, the winds as well along the North Shore and all of Eastern Minnesota lightning up.
CATHY WURZER: Wow. OK. Well, this has been-- I wonder where this ranks in terms of storms, ultimately?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, for the Duluth area, this will probably go down in one of their certainly top 10 or 20. I'd have to look. But even for that area, which is our snow capital of the state, it's going to go down in a pretty high up ranking, I believe.
Twin Cities, not so much. We've seen certainly less. We're going to end up with probably a grand total of 3 to 6 inches in the Twin Cities, but you will have never seen all of that at any one time because we've been seeing so much melting and compacting between these bursts of snow.
CATHY WURZER: Well, 3 to 6 is respectable. OK. So behind this, what happens?
SVEN SUNDGAARD: So we still have got some more snow showers to get through yet. I think tonight, the snow will be concentrated to the west still. There's going to be this band that we're seeing right now kind of continue out around Morris, Montevideo, New Ulm, another 1 to 3 inches there, probably an inch or less, though, for the rest of the state. And then we'll still see some of these snow showers rotating through Friday into early Saturday, but again, lighter and lighter amounts, under an inch probably tomorrow, probably a half inch only tomorrow night into early Saturday.
So when you look at total additional snowfall today through Saturday-- because it will get lighter and lighter-- probably about another 1 or 2 inches in the Twin Cities, but still pockets of 4 to 6 total more in Western Minnesota, again, those areas that I've been talking about, Granite Falls, Morris, New Ulm, that western part of the state which hasn't seen as much of the snow until this most recent 24 hours.
CATHY WURZER: Hmm. OK. So we have a white Christmas guaranteed.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yep. It's going to be--
CATHY WURZER: And then--
SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah, because cold is coming in behind this, so we're not going to melt it. It's also going to be potentially one of the coldest Christmases in about five years. We're going to probably be below zero. So still in the 30s tomorrow, 20s Saturday, teens in Western Minnesota. Sunday, teens and single digits for highs.
But by Monday, sub-zero high temperatures in Northwestern Minnesota, probably only around 10 in the Twin Cities, single-digit highs in the north. And then Monday night, we're talking about temperatures teens below zero in Northwestern Minnesota, probably single digits below 0 in the Twin Cities.
We've been talking about this all week. It'll be our first sub-zero reading in the Twin Cities of the season. And wind chills drop below zero Sunday. And early Tuesday morning, wind chills will be probably 15 to 30 below. And it looks like-- this is pretty remarkable too-- all of next week, statewide the wind chill stays below zero.
CATHY WURZER: OK. We've got that to look forward to. Fantastic. All right. Sven Sundgaard, thank you.
SVEN SUNDGAARD: You're very welcome, Cathy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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