...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Precipitation may start as rain later this evening, but will quickly change to snow overnight. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches.

* WHERE...Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey and Dakota Counties.

* WHEN...From midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute.

Another surge of snow will push through the region Wednesday night and Thursday. The heaviest accumulations will be done by Thursday with lingering light snow potential Friday.

This secondary phase of the storm will be responsible for widespread plowable snowfall amounts across the region. Some 4" to 7" tallies will be possible closer to the metro with heavier amounts in Central Minnesota and across Northeastern Minnesota. By the time this is all said and done, there could be 1ft. to 2ft tallies across the higher terrain of the North Shore.

Here's the snowfall potential closer to home, which shows plowable amounts across the region. 4" to 7" tallies will be possible across the Metro with slightly higher amounts into Central Minnesota. There will also be some 10"+ tallies into Wisconsin.

According to NOAA's SPC, there is a SLIGHT RISK of strong to severe thunderstorms on Thursday, where large hail, damaging winds and even a few strong tornadoes will be possible. Widespread tornado damage was reported earlier this week, one of which impacted the New Orleans metro.

The temperature trend through Christmas day shows a significant surge of colder air settling in across the Lower 48 as we head into next week and closer to the Christmas holiday weekend. Most of the nation will be dealing with well below average temps through the 2nd half of the month.

The extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis, which shows falling temps through the end of the week with even colder temps this weekend. It'll be quite cold as we head through most of next week with highs only warming into the single digits and teens. Overnight lows could dip into the sub-zero range as well!

The Twin Cities on Thursday, December 15th, looks pretty snowy through the day with temps hovering in the low/mid 30s. Plowable snowfall accumulations will be likely, which will impact both the morning and afternoon evening commute.

Temps across the region on Thursday will still be warmer than average by +5F to +10F with readings warming into the low/mid 30s. Note the colder air lurking across the Western Dakotas, this is some of the colder weather that'll be heading our way into the weekend.

Temps through the day Thursday will actually still be fairly mild with readings hovering in the low/mid 30s through the day. Areas of heavier snow will be possible through the first half of the day and will taper through the second half of the day. NNW Winds will be a little breezy in the morning, but should taper a bit through the day.

Feels like temps will be in the 20s in the morning and could top out around the freezing mark through the afternoon.

The Twin Cities is nearly nearly -9.68" below average for the year, which is the 18th driest start to any year on record (through December 12th). Meanwhile, International Fall, MN is still nearly 9.30"above average, which is still the 2nd wettest start to any year on record there.

It has been a dry year for many across central and southern MN. Extreme drought continues across parts of the Twin Cities to the Minnesota River Valley where rainfall deficits have been the greatest. It would be nice to get a good soaking prior to heading into winter, but it doesn't appear that anything substantial is on the way anytime soon.

The extended precipitation outlook through next week shows a decent amount of precipitation. The heaviest will fall Wednesday night into Thursday.

The extended temperature outlook through Monday of early next week shows falling temps into the weekend. Readings will be nearly -10F to -20F below average as we head into the next week.

The extended weather outlook over the next 7 days will still be fairly active through the end of the week with plowable snow. Readings will be much colder into the weekend and through much of next week. We're also keep an eye on additional snow chances next week.

Here's the ECMWF extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows warmer than average temps through the end of the week before MUCH colder weather moves in this weekend and most of next week.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temps across the eastern two-thirds of the nation. Warmer than average temps will be found in the Southwestern US.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 Day precipitation outlook shows more active weather in place across the northern tier of the nation and along the East Coast, while drier weather will settle in from the Southwest through the Central US.

A have a strong hunch that Christmas 2022 will be very white. And Nanook. Pioneer-cold. The Winter Solstice is 5 days away - it gets dark after lunchtime now. Endless nights up north are brewing up frigid airmasses, and one such shotgun blast of frigid air is aimed at much of the US next week. "Extra-fresh" in Minnesota!

A stalled storm will pull waves of snow into Minnesota from Wisconsin today (odd, but it happens) and I could see 3-6" before snow tapers late Friday. Plowable for the metro and much of central Minnesota, but potentially crippling along Lake Superior's North Shore, where some 20-30" amounts may pile up.

This weekend looks quiet with temperatures drooping through the 20s (Saturday) into the teens (Sunday) with some single digit highs next week.

But wait, there's more. The approach of an even colder cold front may set up windswept snow next Wednesday and Thursday. Blizzard conditions are possible late next week. Christmas weekend temperatures will flirt with zero. I'm so sorry Santa.

THURSDAY: Accumulating snow. Winds: NW 7-12. High: 33.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Snow continues. Winds: W 5-10. Low: 28.

FRIDAY: Light snow lingers. Snow totals: 3-6". Winds: NW 10-20. High: 30.

SATURDAY: Lingering clouds and flurries. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 17. High: 22.

SUNDAY: Peeks of sun, chilly Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 5. High: 14.

MONDAY: Partly sunny and cold. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: -2. High: 6.

TUESDAY: Numbing start, clouds increase. Winds: NW 5-10. Wake-up: -7. High: 2.

WEDNESDAY: Snow, potential blowing/drifting. Winds: E 10-25. Wake-up: 0. High: 15.

December 15th

1971: A snowstorm hits Duluth with 10 inches.

December 15th

Average High: 29F (Record: 58F set in 2021)

Average Low: 15F (Record: -21F set in 1901)

Record Rainfall: 0.71" set in 1902

Record Snowfall: 7.0" set in 1902

December 15th

Sunrise: 7:43am

Sunset: 4:32pm

Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 48 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~31 seconds

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 21st): ~ 6 hour & 48 minutes

0.1 Days Before Last Quarter

The weather outlook on Thursday will be colder across the Western US in the wake of the massive storm system. Meanwhile, areas of snow will continues across the Midwest, Great Lakes and into the Northeast.

The weather outlook for Thursday shows active weather continuing across the northern tier of the nation with scattered strong to severe storms in the Southeastern US.

The major storm system will continue to wobble across the Midwest through the end of the week with areas of snow. Heavy wintry precipitation will develop in the Northeast with considerable impacts through the weekend. Widely scattered showers and storms will continue in the Southeast on Thursday, some of which will be strong to severe with locally heavy rains.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavy precipitation across the much of the Eastern half of the nation. There will also be some heavy precipitation across the Gulf Coast States and the northern tier of the nation.

According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be possible over the next several days across the northern tier of the nation. Some of the heaviest will be found in the mountains out West, The Midwest, Great Lakes and into the Northeast.

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"Climate change is rapidly transforming the Arctic into an almost unrecognizable new region, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card has found. The report, released Tuesday and authored by 147 scientists from 11 countries, is full of cheerful updates on just how quickly climate change is altering one of the world's most sensitive regions. For instance, the report finds that 2022 had the sixth warmest air temperatures ever recorded in the Arctic; the past seven years have together been the warmest since records began in 1900. To make matters even worse, 2022 marked the 25th consecutive year that the Greenland ice sheet, which "has immediate and global influence on sea level rise," has ended the year smaller than it began. Fun!"

See more from Gizmodo HERE:

"December has delivered a powerful punch of storms to California. But the wet weather comes with a dry dose of reality: The state's largest reservoirs remain badly depleted, projected water deliveries are low, wells are drying up, and the Colorado River's water, already diminished by a megadrought, is severely overallocated. Throughout California, urban water managers are bracing for a fourth consecutive drought year. Nearly one out of every five water agencies — 76 out of 414 — in a recent state survey predict that they won't have enough water to meet demand next year. That means they are likely to impose more severe restrictions on customers, with some Southern California providers considering a ban on all outdoor watering."

See more from Cal Matters HERE: