Let it blow, then let it snow! Breezy Thursday, snowstorm Saturday
Sunday looks quiet and chilly
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Very breezy westerly winds will continue to howl across the state on Thursday, with wind advisories still in effect until Thursday evening. After a quiet Friday, our focus shifts to the weekend as a winter storm watch takes effect Friday night.
Gusty Thursday afternoon
Blowing and drifting snow from Wednesday night’s system can still be seen on traffic cameras around the state. Reported gusts across the state range from 35 to 45 mph, with westerly gusts possibly exceeding 50 mph this afternoon.
Here’s a sampling of recorded wind speeds:
Twin Cities, 26 mph, gust 45 mph
Park Rapids, 18 mph, gust 37 mph
Walker, 20 mph, gust 35 mph
Duluth, 26 mph, gust 44 mph
Alexandria, 26 mph, gust 45 mph
Hutchinson, 32 mph, gust 43 mph
Low temperatures Thursday night will dip into the chilly single digits, both above and below zero, with wind chills ranging from single digits below zero in southern Minnesota to teens below zero up north.
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Winds will blow into Thursday evening, diminishing quite a bit by Friday morning.
Friday features a quiet, partly sunny day with temperatures reaching near-normal highs.
Weekend snowfall
As our next weather system moves onshore, we will start acquiring more weather data, which in turn will help narrow down the forecast totals.
At this point, the probability of receiving more than 4 inches of snow is greater than 80 percent across central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, based on the NOAA Weather Prediction Center’s probabilistic precipitation guidance.
Additionally, the chance of receiving more than 6 inches of snow ranges from 50 to 70 percent.
One of the computer models, NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows accumulations greater than 6 inches for the Twin Cities area.
What we know for sure is that a low-pressure system will emerge from the Rockies, heading toward the Ohio River Valley. This fast-moving system will affect Minnesota from late Friday night until Saturday afternoon.
High pressure will settle in by Saturday night, bringing a quiet but chilly Sunday.
