Dense fog in some areas Sat. night and Sun. a.m.; mild highs

Some of us saw dense fog Friday night and Saturday morning, but the fog burned off nicely by afternoon. The fog “flocked” trees in some locations:

We’re not through with the fog. Some areas in eastern and southern Minnesota plus western Wisconsin could see dense fog anytime from Saturday evening through Sunday morning. A dense fog advisory runs from 6 p.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday in the grey-shaded area on the following map:

The advisory will continue an extra two hours, until noon Sunday, in far southern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin. There could also be freezing fog in some areas.

Here are details of the dense fog advisory, which includes the Twin Cities metro area:

National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 157 PM CST Sat Jan 2 2021 MNZ052-053-060>063-067>070-075>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016- 023>028-030400- /O.NEW.KMPX.FG.Y.0002.210103T0000Z-210103T1600Z/ Isanti-Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Sibley-Carver- Scott-Dakota-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth- Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk- St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Cambridge, Center City, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, St James, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, Fairmont, Blue Earth, Albert Lea, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 157 PM CST Sat Jan 2 2021 ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog may develop again later tonight. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and central, east central, south central and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 10 AM CST Sunday. * IMPACTS...Hazardous driving conditions due to low visibility. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Slick spots on roads, overpasses, and sidewalks are also possible as the fog freezes on exposed surfaces. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Temperature trends

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees this time of year. Twin Cities metro area highs will reach the upper 20s Sunday afternoon. Highs will be in the upper 20s in eastern Minnesota, with 30s in most of western Minnesota:

Sunday wind gusts will be less than 12 mph most areas, with higher gusts in northwestern Minnesota:

Plotted wind gusts are in knots, with 10 knots equal to 11.5 mph.

Back to temperatures, most of Minnesota plus western Wisconsin will see Monday highs in the 30s.

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid 30s on Monday, followed by highs in the lower 30s Tuesday through Friday.

We don’t see any arctic chill in the next couple of weeks. The NWS Climate Prediction Center shows a tendency for above-normal temperatures in Minnesota and Wisconsin from Jan. 8 through Jan. 16:

Snow chances?

Northern Minnesota will have a chance of light snow showers Sunday night and Monday morning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few flurries Monday morning in central Minnesota, with a stray flurry also possible in the Twin Cities metro area.

Some forecast models show a mix of rain showers and snow showers in Minnesota and western Wisconsin Wednesday morning. We’ll give you an update on that tomorrow.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.