Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Snow pack and seasonal snowfall; cool weekend but milder next week

More freezing fog will be possible Friday night

snow depth
Snow depth analysis across the region
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

Minnesota has plenty of snow so far this season with lots of water locked up in the snow pack. Temperatures will remain cool in the weekend with more freezing fog Friday night. It’s milder again next week.

A look at the snow pack

We’ve seen a lot of snow for many parts of Minnesota so far this season. In the Twin Cities we’re experiencing our third snowiest season to date at 48.3 inches (normal to date is 20.8 inches). In case you’re curious of the top seasonal snowfalls, here they are:

top seasonal snowfalls
Top total seasonal snowfalls for the Twin Cities since 1884 (we're currently 3rd to date)
Sven Sundgaard, National Weather Service data

From the Twin Cities to Duluth and up the North Shore, we’ve all seen lots of snow. Duluth’s seasonal total is up to 68.1 inches (normal to date is 38.5 inches).

season snowfall
Seasonal snowfall across the region so far
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

The resulting snow pack is impressive with a good chunk of Minnesota seeing over a foot of snow on the ground.

snow depth
Snow depth analysis across the region
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

In that snow pack is quite a bit of water too thanks to the unusually high water content of some of these storms. Across the Twin Cities area, our 16 inches of snow pack has about 2 to 4 inches of water in it if we melted it down. Around the North Shore, that water content ranges from 4 to 8 inches in some places! Of course the water content in the snow pack becomes very relevant as we approach spring flooding season.

water equivalent
Water equivalent (inches) in the snow pack (i.e. if the snow is melted down)
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

Cool weekend followed by milder temperatures next week

It was a cold morning across portions of Minnesota early Friday. Several places slipped below zero with even some teens below zero in northern Minnesota.

lows north
Low temperatures across northern Minnesota early Friday
National Weather Service
lows south
Low temperatures across central and southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin
National Weather Service

High temperatures Friday will be mainly in the teens to around 20.

thu highs 10
Forecast high temperatures Friday
National Weather Service

Overnight, lows will slip back into the single digits with some subzero readings once again under mainly clear skies.

fri night low 10
Forecast low temperatures Friday night into early Saturday
National Weather Service

We still have a lot of moisture in the lower atmosphere from the recent snowfall so freezing fog will again be possible.

fog SAT
Forecast areas of freezing fog again Friday night into early Saturday
National Weather Service

High temperatures Saturday will be back in the teens to around 20 with more sunshine after the morning fog burns off.

sat highs 10
Forecast high temperatures Saturday
National Weather Service

Into next week temperatures are back above normal in the 20s and even some low 30s. We’ll continue to watch a possible late week storm system but the trends right now are to push that system south of Minnesota.