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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

What’s in a name? New MnDOT winter road terms

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It won't be long now.

The first real snowflakes have fallen in northern Minnesota. Lake Superior already has that chilly November look about it.

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A brisk but tranquil morning on Lake Superior at Duluth. Lake Superior Maritime Museum.

One of these weeks, your local National Weather Service office will dust off some winter weather advisories.

When they do, you'll be hearing some new winter weather road terminology from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

  • Out? Subjective terms like "good, fair, difficult."

  • In? More descriptive winter road condition terminology like "partially covered" and "completely covered."

Here's a more detailed list of terms MnDOT will be using to describe winter road conditions this winter.

MNDOT road terms
MNDOT

Oh, and did I mention that it's okay to be that guy that zips along the left lane when traffic narrows to a merge and slides gracefully in at the last second? Welcome to the zipper merge.

Progress.

Forecast: Pre-Halloween cold front

We're feeling the effects of cold front No. 1 across Minnesota now. Cold front No. 2 sweeps south with gusty winds and colder air late Thursday.

By Halloween,the center of the season's coldest air mass so far slides over Minnesota. The big blue "H" dropping south from Canada brings the coldest Halloween in 8 years.

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NOAA

Hard freezes visit the metro Friday and Saturday mornings. The weather mellows a bit this weekend and temps top 50 again by Sunday.

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Weatherspark

One more shot at 60?

Both the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System suggest one more shot of milder air by late next week.

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Euro model temps late next week. Weatherspark

Both models crank out temps at or near 60 a week from Friday and Saturday.

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GFS temps late next week. IPS Meteostar

One more mild Indian summer Saturday in MPR Land?

Stay tuned.