Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Light snow again Tuesday; epic blizzard images

Here comes the snow again.

Tuesday's flakes will drift ever so gently earthward. We'll enjoy a kinder, gentler snow. Temperatures in the teens mean roads may still grease up again.

Yes, a little snow can go a long way in a Minnesota winter.

At least it's not a blizzard.

SnowDrift_HSEM
Road closed near Tracy MN with snow drifts several feet deep. Photo courtesy of HSEM.

Many Minnesotans are still trying to find their way home after one of the most ferocious blizzards I can remember.

Timing and totals

Snow breaks out in western Minnesota Tuesday morning. Snow should approach the Twin Cities by lunchtime, and then spread eastward into Wisconsin.

Heres's the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System model.

2 25 ggffss
NOAA GFS via tropical tidbits.

Couple inches

This system looks like a general 1- to 3-inch snow producer from the Dakotas through central Minnesota into northern Wisconsin.

Here's the view from the Red River Valley National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, N.D.

2 25 nd

Twin Cities: Glancing blow?

The latest model trends suggest that central Minnesota and the northern Twin Cities will be the focus of the snow shield. In that scenario, the southwest Twin Cities would see just a dusting of snow.

The best odds for a couple inches of snow tomorrow are in the northern Twin Cities.

2 25 msp

There are chances for nuisance-level light snows again Thursday and Friday. But nothing looks as heavy, or violent, as what we've endured the past several weeks.

Cold for now

Temperatures rebound a bit but hover below average for the next 10 days.

2 25 wwww
NOAA via Weather Bell.

Ferocious blizzard

SnowDrift_Farm_Staci Hinnenkamp
Snow Drift at a farm in southern Minnesota. Image via Staci Hinnenkamp and Twin Cities NWS.

The weekend blizzard was one for the ages.

Here's a good recap of the weekend's vicious blizzard event from the Twin Cities NWS.

On Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24 a very powerful winter storm brought whiteout conditions across much of Minnesota and Wisconsin. A narrow band of heavy snow fell from central Iowa, through southeast Minnesota, and up through northern Wisconsin.

Several locations within this band saw over a foot of snow (orange shading). Very strong winds developed as the snow was ending Saturday night and these winds continued through Sunday. Many locations had wind gusts of 50 mph or stronger.

This led to significant blowing and drifting snow, making travel very difficult or impossible. Most roads in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin were impassable, and hundreds of motorists became stranded in the blizzard. Portions of Interstate 90 and Interstate 35 were closed for over 24 hours in south-central Minnesota.

Feb 24 blizzard Snowfall Totals
Twin Cities NWS.

Stay warm and stay tuned.