Blizzard, winter storm warnings north; Twin Cities may see 70 next week
Severe risk in southern Minnesota
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Our latest wintry weather mess is pushing through Minnesota pretty much on schedule Tuesday. It’s a complicated mix of winter weather warnings with major travel impacts across northern Minnesota.
Blizzard and winter storm warnings remain in effect for most of northern Minnesota through Wednesday.
As you can see on the map above, a mixed bag of blizzard, winter storm, and ice storm warnings cover areas from Bemidji to International Falls and the Lake Superior region.
Ice, snow, and high winds are again a threat to cause power outages in the storm zone up north.
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Including the city of Duluth
334 AM CDT Tue Apr 4 2023 ...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY...
* WHAT...Heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches and ice accumulations of two tenths to three tenths of an inch. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph.
* WHERE...Carlton and South St. Louis County. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Fond du Lac Band. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM CDT Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice. Travel could be nearly impossible. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute. Strong winds could cause tree damage.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temporary blizzard conditions are expected Tuesday afternoon. Expect a lot of sleet to mix in with snow. Sleet will act to lower the total snow accumulations, but is equally as dangerous. A few rumbles of thunder are possible Tuesday afternoon and night.
Blizzard warnings cover the Red River Valley and northwestern Minnesota.
Including the cities of Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster, Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Newfolden, Middle River, Grygla, Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, Cando, Langdon, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas, Grafton, Park River, Edinburg, Adams, and Lankin
850 AM CDT Tue Apr 4 2023
...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 AM CDT THURSDAY...
* WHAT...Blizzard conditions expected. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 14 inches with locally higher snowfall totals. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE...Portions of northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota.
* WHEN...From 3 PM this afternoon to 7 AM CDT Thursday.
* IMPACTS...Travel will be very difficult to impossible. Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce the visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning and evening commutes.
Icy mix
It’s mostly rain in the Twin Cities Tuesday, but it’s an icy mix across central and northeastern Minnesota. Here’s a look at likely ice accumulations:
Heavy snow zone
The heaviest snowfall zone with this system is focused on northwestern Minnesota. More than a foot of snow is highly likely through Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the likely snowfall totals for Minnesota:
Rain and thunder south
This system is warm enough for mostly rain in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will pop up through tonight from the Twin Cities southward. A few cells will contain small hail and potentially gusty winds.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model below tracks precipitation trends between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Severe risk
Farther south, a severe risk is up with another severe outbreak likely. The marginal (low) risk zone edges up to the Twin Cities area, but the higher risk zones run from southeastern Minnesota into Iowa and Wisconsin.
This is one of those extreme weather days where different parts of Minnesota will see a blizzard, heavy snow, ice, and possible severe storm cells.
Be ready for a little bit of everything today across Minnesota!
Much warmer next week
The medium-range forecast maps agree on much warmer air for next week.
Models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA’s Global Forecast System are cranking out temperatures near or above 70 degrees from about the Twin Cities southward toward the middle of next week.
It remains to be seen just how warm we will get, but springlike temperatures are finally on the way.
Stay tuned.