Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Tracking a possible winter storm Saturday

Windy and milder Wednesday, then wintry through the weekend.

Winter storm potential Saturday
Winter storm potential Saturday
Twin Cities National Weather Service

We’re finally getting some respectable winter weather around Minnesota this week.

Tuesday snowy dusting slicked up roads thanks to temperatures hovering in the teens.

Temperatures Tuesday afternoon
Temperatures Tuesday afternoon
Oklahoma Mesonet

Today is a great example of how .5 inches of snow at 15 degrees can create much worse driving conditions than 5 inches of snow at 32 degrees.

Windy but milder Wednesday

Wednesday brings windy but milder weather to Minnesota. Winds will gust from the south and west over 30 mph in open areas Wednesday morning. That will blow some of our recently fluffy snow around.

Highs will reach the 30s across in much Minnesota Wednesday. Note the incredibly mild air again across Nebraska and South Dakota as highs reach the 50s on January 20.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
NOAA

Growing Saturday snow chances

A cold front Thursday brings some Arctic air into Minnesota. Temperatures will hover around zero by Friday and Saturday morning.

The next significant snow producer appears ready to ride into Minnesota Saturday. The Canadian and American GFS model are similar in solutions that bring a wedge of snow across southern Minnesota Saturday through Saturday night.

Canadian model Saturday
Canadian model Saturday
Environment Canada via tropical tidbits

It’s still too early to post credible snowfall totals with this system. But most forecast models suggest a plowable snowfall event. That’s usually more than 2 to 3 inches for most plow companies.

Stay tuned as we track the evolving Saturday snow chance.