Excessive heat watch in effect through Sunday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

We’re tracking a pretty impressive Alberta clipper this weekend across Minnesota. The system will likely lay down several inches of fluffy snow across the northern half of Minnesota. 

Let’s break down forecast trends, likely snowfall timing, and totals for this weekend. 

An Alberta clipper-type system will spin through Minnesota Saturday into Sunday. The system is well-organized but is working with somewhat limited moisture. The 

 for this system looks to be around 16 to 1, so it will be a fluffy snow. 

Snow will begin in the Red River Valley and northwestern Minnesota Saturday morning and spread east. The steadiest, heaviest snow will set up across the northern half of Minnesota. Snowfall will be intermittent in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model seems to have a pretty good handle on snowfall coverage and timing. The forecast model loop below runs between 6 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m Sunday. 

Snowfall accumulations look significant across the northern half of Minnesota. A wide band of 2 to 6 inches is likely. Some areas in the Red River Valley and the far North Shore could see more than 6 inches. Winds and additional moisture from Lake Superior could boost snowfall along the North Shore. 

Snowfall around the greater Twin Cities area is likely to fall in the 1 to 2-inch range with some local 3-inch totals possible, especially in the northern Twin Cities. Little snow will fall southward across southern Minnesota.

Temperatures Saturday will be in the 20s to 30s south with teens north. 

Another respectable arctic air mass blows into Minnesota behind this clipper. You’ll notice the bite in the air Sunday afternoon as temperatures plunge from the 20s through the teens in the Twin Cities and toward zero up north. 

Highs Monday will hover around zero across much of Minnesota. Let’s hope that’s the only purple pain we have to endure Monday.

Overnight lows may dip below zero in the Twin Cities Sunday and Monday night, with lows to the minus 20s in the north. Cold but still not typical for a January arctic outbreak of yore. 

A brief thaw looks likely with highs in the 30s by next Thursday and Friday.

The roads could get interesting this weekend especially north of the Twin Cities.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

An Alberta clipper brings snow to Minnesota this weekend. The heaviest snowfall likely targets the northern half of Minnesota where several inches will fall. 

Clipper brings weekend snow to Minnesota

Snowfall projection for the Upper Midwest

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA via tropical tidbits

Snowfall projection for northeast Minnesota 

Clipper brings weekend snow to Minnesota

Go Deeper.

Like this?