Friday night's windy with some snow, plunging temps; very cold Saturday

An arctic cold front will continue to move across Minnesota Friday afternoon and it’ll push into Wisconsin Friday evening. The colder air will be accompanied by periods of snow into Friday night.

Northwestern Minnesota had already seen several hours of snow by early afternoon, with additional areas of snow spreading across the remainder of northern Minnesota. It’s expected to spread across most of Minnesota and into Wisconsin as we go through the late afternoon and evening hours of Friday.

Northern Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota may see some 1 to 3-inch snow totals through Friday evening, with 1 inch or less of snow in southern Minnesota, the Twin Cities metro area and west-central Wisconsin.

Parts of the Twin Cities metro area and southern Minnesota could see some drizzle, light rain or a rain-snow mix late Friday afternoon or early Friday evening before the changeover to all snow.

Here’s the snow forecast for northern Minnesota:

Blowing snow will reduce visibilities in open areas:

It doesn’t take much snow to slick up the roads, and plunging temps Friday evening will create some icy patches.

Advisories

A wind advisory covers much of Minnesota and portions of Wisconsin Friday afternoon into Friday night.

A winter weather advisory covers much of northern and western Minnesota plus parts of central and southern Minnesota Friday afternoon into Friday night. It runs from 6 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday in the southern part of the Twin Cities metro area:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 154 PM CST Fri Dec 2 2022 MNZ058-066>070-075>077-083-084-030400- /O.NEW.KMPX.WW.Y.0022.221203T0000Z-221203T0900Z/ Meeker-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice- Blue Earth-Waseca- Including the cities of Litchfield, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Mankato, and Waseca 154 PM CST Fri Dec 2 2022 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM CST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 3 AM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Sharply falling temperatures could cause a flash-freeze. Gusty winds could also bring down tree branches. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Here are details of the wind advisory that includes the northern portion of the Twin Cities metro area:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 143 PM CST Fri Dec 2 2022 MNZ043-044-050>052-059>063-078-085-092-093-WIZ023-024-026-030345- /O.CON.KMPX.WI.Y.0016.221203T0000Z-221203T0900Z/ Morrison-Mille Lacs-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka- Ramsey-Washington-Goodhue-Steele-Faribault-Freeborn-St. Croix- Pierce-Pepin- Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Cambridge, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Red Wing, Owatonna, Blue Earth, Albert Lea, Hudson, River Falls, and Durand 143 PM CST Fri Dec 2 2022 ...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM CST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Northwest winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. * WHERE...Morrison, Mille Lacs, Benton, Sherburne, Meeker, Wright and McLeod Counties. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to 3 AM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

Find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.

Minnesota road conditions can be found here. Wisconsin road conditions can be found here.

Weekend temps and winds

Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 33 degrees on Dec. 3. Metro area highs will only reach the upper teens on Saturday. Highs in the teens are expected in many locations on Saturday, with 20s in far southern Minnesota:

Saturday afternoon wind gusts will be in the 15 to 22-mph range in many areas, with higher gusts in northeastern Minnesota:

Forecast wind gusts are in knots, with 14 knots equal to 16.1 mph.

Saturday afternoon wind chill temps (which are based on sustained winds, not gusts) will be below zero in most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin:

Wear warm clothes if you plan to spend extended time outdoors on Saturday.

Sunday highs will be mainly in the 20s, with some 30s in far southern Minnesota:

Sunday afternoon wind chill temps will be in the single digits and teens above zero many areas, but slightly below zero in far northern Minnesota:

Dry most of Saturday and Sunday

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin won’t see any additional snow between sunrise on Saturday through sunset on Sunday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday:

Parts of far northern Minnesota could see a passing light snow shower late Saturday afternoon or Saturday evening.

Snow cover map

The latest snow depth map from the Minnesota State Climatology Office shows plenty of snow cover in the Twin Cities metro area and also in far northern Minnesota:

The snow depth map does not include any snow that has fallen this Friday.

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. Saturday and Sunday.