Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Monday's snowfall totals; new year's thaw

Sunshine by New Year's Day?

Our three-part weather trilogy is pulling slowly away from Minnesota.

Saturday ice. Sunday rain. Monday snow. At least for the Twin Cities.

It was cold enough or all snow up north last weekend. That resulted in some prolific snowfall totals over a foot across northwest Minnesota. Check out the widespread heavy snow totals from the Red River Valley National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, N.D.

Snow totals
Snow totals
Red River Valley NWS office

Snow winds down

Snow tapers off over eastern Minnesota overnight. NOAA’s North American Mesoscale 3 km resolution model captures the big low-pressure swirl centered over eastern Lake Superior and the fading west edge of the snow shield overnight.

Wind, too

NOAA NAM 3 km model
NOAA NAM 3 km model tonight
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Winds have gusted as high as 50 mph in the Red River Valley Monday. Blowing snow remains an issue into early Tuesday. Eastern Minnesota and Wisconsin pick up some additional snow by Tuesday morning.

New year’s thaw

The air is colder behind our snow system Tuesday. But highs in the 20s are average for late December. December is running 3 degrees warmer than average in the Twin Cities.

January 2020 opens with another thaw in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.

Temperature forecast for Minneapolis
Temperature forecast for Twin Cities
NOAA via Weather Bell

Next week looks seasonably chilly. Right now I don't see any prolonged subzero outbreak in sight — yet.