Arctic Blast In Place For The Next Several Days

The clipper that moved through the state Thursday night into early Friday generally brought 1-3" of snow along with across the region. The greatest totals over the 24-hour period were up around International Falls, where there was a 5.5" report. Through 6 AM, 2.2" had fallen at MSP Airport.

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Forecast loop from Midnight Friday Night to Midnight Saturday Night.

Another clipper system will bring snow across southern Minnesota Friday Night into Saturday. While some light snow could reach parts of the southern metro during the morning/midday hours Saturday, the bulk of the snow will fall from around I-90 southward into Iowa.

Around 1-2" could fall along the I-90 corridor southward as we head through Friday Night to Saturday, with the heaviest snow across portions of Iowa (where areas around Sioux City could see 6"+). If any of the snow reaches the south metro, it should be light in nature.

Outside of the snow zone across southern Minnesota, we'll see a mix of sun and clouds to mostly cloudy skies across the state on Saturday. Highs will be below zero across northwestern Minnesota in and around the Red River Valley, but they could make it to 10F across southern parts of the state.

Skies will remain mainly cloudy in the metro on Saturday with temperatures barely budging from the low to upper single digits throughout the day. However, with northerly 5-10 mph winds, it'll feel more like the single digits below zero.

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This forecast is the opposite of Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On"... it's more like the Arctic Blast Is On! Highs from this weekend through the middle of next week will generally be in the single digits or low teens in the metro - a good 10-20F+ degrees below average. There is a bright spot heading toward next weekend, though: we should climb out of the freezer, and some models even indicate the potential of 20s next weekend.

Morning wind chills Sunday through Tuesday will be in the -20s here in the metro, so make sure you are definitely bundling up as you head out to church, work, or send the kids to the bus stop.

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Arctic Blast In Place For The Next Several Days
By D.J. Kayser, filling in for Paul Douglas

The warmer weather so far this winter has led to minimal ice coverage on the Great Lakes. As of January 26th, the Great Lakes were only 4.7% covered in ice - the second lowest coverage on record for the date (back to 1973). The lowest was back in 2002 when only 3.7% of the lakes were ice covered. The average for this time of year is 26% coverage. However, some recent years have had minimal coverage at this time of year as well, with only 6.3% in 2020 and 6.6% in 2021.

We're now in the depths of an Arctic Blast that'll last into next week. Highs in the metro could struggle to get above zero early next week with morning wind chills from Sunday through at least Tuesday morning dipping into the -20s. We won't be anywhere near records, though - our daily coldest highs are in (or at least near) the teens below zero, and our record lows are in the negative 20s and 30s.

As we head through this cold snap, just a reminder that Twins pitchers and catchers report on February 16. This is at least a sign that winter has to end soon... right?

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D.J.'s Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SATURDAY: Snow south of the metro. Wake up 4. High 9. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind N 5-10 mph.

SUNDAY: Sun returns for a few hours in the AM. Wake up -6. High 4. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: AM chill: -20F. Cold, cold sunshine. Wake up -10. High 1. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind W 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: AM chill: -25F. A few passing clouds. Wake up -10. High 11. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 10-15 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Morning sun, afternoon clouds. Wake up -3. High 10. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 5-10 mph.

THURSDAY: Groundhog Day: High shadow potential. Wake up -6. High 13. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Cloudier & warmer. Nighttime snow? Wake up 3. High 19. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind SW 5-10 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 28th

*Length Of Day: 9 hours, 37 minutes, and 50 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 2 minutes and 25 seconds

*When do we see 10 Hours of Daylight?: February 6th (10 hours, 1 minute, 13 seconds)
*When is Sunrise at/before 7:30 AM?: February 3rd (7:30 AM)
*When is Sunset at/after 5:30 PM?: February 8th (5:30 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
January 28th

1914: A very rare thunderstorm (for this time of year) is observed at Maple Plain during the evening. Heavy thunder and vivid lightning was observed.

1846: Temperatures are not too shabby for a January day. The high in the Twin Cities was 50, which is the normal high for the beginning of March.

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On Saturday, we'll be tracking snow and a mix of precipitation from the Pacific Northwest to New England. Some of the heaviest snow will fall in a swath from around Sioux Falls and Sioux City to central Michigan. Storms will be possible across the lower Mississippi Valley.

We will continue to see the threat of heavy snow into the weekend from the northern Rockies across portions of the Upper Midwest. Lake-enhanced snow will also fall downwind of the Great Lakes. Heavy rain will be possible in the lower Mississippi Valley, with 3"+ possible for some.

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Gas utility's Minnesota hydrogen pilot 'good news' so far, but questions remain

More from Energy News Network: "A Minnesota gas utility says it is successfully blending "green" hydrogen into its natural gas pipeline system in one of the first such tests in the country. Since last spring, CenterPoint Energy customers near downtown Minneapolis have been burning a bit of hydrogen alongside the usual mix of methane gas in their stoves and furnaces. The utility completed a $2.5 million hydrogen production pilot facility last year and began injecting the carbon-free fuel into its system in small amounts in June. Hydrogen accounts for no more than 5% of the overall blend at any time. "The good news is that this facility has integrated well with our distribution system," CenterPoint spokesperson Ross Corson said of the facility's first months of operation."

Biden protects Boundary Waters in blow to copper mine

More from E&E News: "The Biden administration took final actions Thursday to protect waterways in pristine northeastern Minnesota, likely halting a proposed copper mine there, a move that inflamed Republican lawmakers who want to see domestic development of minerals critical for electric vehicle batteries and clean tech. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed an order withdrawing more than 225,000 acres in the state's Superior National Forest from mining and geothermal leasing for an additional two decades, a decision she said would protect the Rainy River watershed, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and ceded tribal land, from the adverse effects of new mines, exploration and development tied to geothermal projects."

Clean Energy Investment Sets $1.1 Trillion Record, Matching Fossil Fuels For the First Time

More from TIME: "Last year was a double milestone for decarbonizing the world's energy system. It was the first year when investment in the energy transition equaled global investment in fossil fuels, according to the latest data release from clean energy research group BloombergNEF. The money flowing into the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of oil and gas, and into fossil fuel-fired power generation without emissions reduction technology, was $1.1 trillion last year. Likewise, annual investment in renewable energy, electrified transport and heat, energy storage and other technologies reached $1.1 trillion."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser