November preview: frosted flakes this weekend

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" -- The Wizard of Oz

Whoever is pulling the strings behind the weather curtain this weekend has a cruel sense of humor for early October. From 82 degrees to snowflakes in five days?

Only in Minnesota. Talk about weather whiplash.

An unseasonably frigid November-like air mass pours into Minnesota this weekend. The front end of the system comes with enough moisture and critical sub-freezing air to produce an early shot of winter white this year.

The weather culprit I've been tracking all week wraps up tight and wobbles along the southwest shores of James Bay and Hudson Bay this weekend. Note the snowy blue smudge drifting southeast over Minnesota into early Saturday.

Behind the low pressure system, a quieter, but increasingly chilly air mass over Minnesota.

The Duluth office of the National Weather Service captures the essence of the unseasonably cold and snowy incoming air mass. A coating of white greets northern Minnesota Saturday morning.

More than a foot of snow will fall this weekend with the core of the system in southern Canada.

Here's a closer look at the weekend for the Twin Cities, if you dare.

Snow flakes fly overnight into Saturday morning. I can't rule out some light accumulations on grassy areas as temperatures plummet into the mid-30s early Saturday morning.

The snow is early this year, but not unprecedented. Here's the breakdown on October snowfall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from the Twin Cities National Weather Service:

Most of the inner metro core will see the first frost this weekend. Temperatures by Sunday morning should be low enough for frosty rooftops, car windshields and lawns.

The good weather news? Temperatures moderate some next week, but still run a good five to 10 degrees below average. Here's the latest model output from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts:

Stay warm Minnesota!