Still colder than normal; major storm this weekend

Here are the headlines you might find useful this Wednesday morning:

• Unseasonably low temperatures again Wednesday and Thursday

• Milder on Friday

• High-impact winter storm likely for Minnesota this weekend

The Twin Cities' high temperature of just 16 on Tuesday was 20 degrees lower than the normal high for the date. The gusty wind did not make it feel any warmer, either.

Chilly midweek continues

Wednesday will be another chilly one but with a lighter breeze. Afternoon temperatures are likely to linger in the single digits in Minnesota's northwest corner around Hallock. Most of the rest of the state should have highs in the teens.

The Twin Cities might just make it to about 20 under a mix of a little sun and a lot of clouds. Winds will pick up to around 10-20 mph from the west.

A developing weather system will crank out some snow across South Dakota and Nebraska later on Wednesday and then spread snow across Iowa Wednesday night. Also note the storm coming ashore in California to drop heavy snow and rain. That storm will morph quite a bit as it comes our way for the weekend. More on that later.

Subzero temperatures are on tap statewide for Wednesday night.

Thursday won't bring much thermal improvement except in frigid northwestern Minnesota. Highs statewide should be mainly in the teens.

A touch of snow might dust Minnesota's southern edge on Thursday as the heavier snow tracks into the Ohio River Valley. The best chance of an inch or possibly two would be around Luverne and Adrian in the southwest corner.

Much milder Friday

A push of milder air from the south should bump high temperatures into the 20s on Friday. The Twin Cities could touch 30 degrees for the first time since Feb. 23.

Powerful weekend storm

The storm entering California on Wednesday will make its way into the southern Rocky Mountains and then into the southern Plains where it will add moisture and strengthen significantly as it turns toward Minnesota.

While it is too early to forecast the storm's exact track or strength, forecast models are predicting it to be a high-impact storm when it arrives in Minnesota early on Saturday and as it lingers through Sunday.

There will be a good chance of some mixed precipitation in southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, mainly early in the event. Meanwhile, heavy, wet snow is likely to fall on a good chunk of Minnesota. Snow should taper off on Sunday.

At this early juncture, I would think the most likely areas to get whacked with a broad swath of plowable snow might be from southwestern Minnesota into the east-central part of the state, including the Twin Cities area, and then into northern Wisconsin.

Regardless of the storm's exact track, wind on the backside is likely to cause significant blowing and drifting Saturday night and on Sunday. Blizzard conditions are possible during that time frame across the usual areas of western and southern Minnesota.

Here is a look at the weekend outlook from the Twin Cities National Weather Service:

Forecasts must be rather vague at this point, but this is likely to be quite a weekend disrupter. Keep track of weather forecasts, updates and expected travel conditions and maybe have a Plan B for both Saturday and Sunday.

What I am wondering is how big the snow piles will be when the Twins host their home opener in just 22 days.