Above-normal temps linger; fog update

Updated 12:30 p.m.

A high-pressure system to our southwest will move slowly eastward Sunday and Sunday night, so light winds will linger over Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

That’s part of the recipe for fog, which lingers over much of Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin. Some locations have freezing fog.

A dense fog advisory has been extended to 4 p.m. Sunday for portions of Minnesota, including the western half of the Twin Cities metro area:

Here are details of the dense fog advisory:

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1147 AM CST Sun Jan 28 2024 MNZ043>045-049>052-057>061-065>069-074>077-082>085-091>093-282200- /O.EXT.KMPX.FG.Y.0004.000000T0000Z-240128T2200Z/ Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stearns-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti- Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Renville-McLeod-Sibley- Carver-Scott-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Watonwan-Blue Earth- Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn- Including the cities of Sauk Rapids, Monticello, Shakopee, Elk River, Little Falls, St Cloud, Litchfield, Albert Lea, Faribault, Mora, Princeton, Owatonna, Blue Earth, Willmar, Mankato, St James, Gaylord, Waseca, Hutchinson, Blaine, New Ulm, Olivia, Cambridge, Victoria, St Peter, Fairmont, Chaska, Chanhassen, Minneapolis, and Le Sueur 1147 AM CST Sun Jan 28 2024 ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central, and south central Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 4 PM CST this afternoon. * IMPACTS...Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News network. 

Updated forecast information will be posted by the National Weather Service offices in the Twin Cities, Duluth, La Crosse, Wis., Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D.

Minnesota road conditions can be found here.

Areas of fog are also expected Sunday evening into early Monday.

Any sun Sunday?

Western Minnesota and much of northern Minnesota will have plenty of sunshine Sunday afternoon. Portions of east-central Minnesota could see some breaks develop in the cloud cover later in the afternoon.

Temperature trends

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees on Jan. 28. Metro area highs are expected to reach the upper 30s Sunday afternoon.

Sunday high temperatures will be in the 30s across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, but several locations in southwestern and west-central Minnesota will reach the 40s.

Monday highs will be in the 40s across much of the southern half of Minnesota plus west-central Wisconsin:

The northern half of Minnesota will see a lot of 30s.

Tuesday highs will be in the 30s in most locations, with a few spots in the Twin Cities metro area touching 40:

Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to be in the mid-40s on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by lower 40s Friday. Above-normal temperatures are expected next weekend and through the following week.

Here’s the Feb. 4 through Feb. 10 temperature outlook from the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center:

Ice safety

Be careful about ice safety. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has plenty of information on ice safety, including these guidelines:

According to the DNR:

Many factors other than thickness affect ice strength, including air temperature, wind, snow, streams, narrow areas or bottlenecks, sun, shade, fish communities, plant decay, and more. When a layer of snow melts and refreezes on top of lake ice, it creates white ice, only about half as strong as new, clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when traveling on white ice.

Addition information on lake ice can be found here.

Weather nugget

So far this January, the snowfall total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is just 2 inches. The average Twin Cities snowfall total for the month of January is 11 inches.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.