The last several days saw widespread heavy mixed precipitation across the Midwest. Areas of heavy snowfall fell across the High Plains, Dakotas into Minnesota and Wisconsin. 1ft to 2ft of snow fell in some areas (in red), mainly through the Dakotas, but some locations in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin saw that as well. The heaviest tally I could find was 48" (4 FEET) in Deadwood and Cheyenne Crossing, South Dakota located in the Black Hills. Now that's a lot of snow! Thanks to gusty winds through the week, widespread blizzard conditions and hazardous travel was reported across much of the Midwest, especially where the heaviest snow fell. Quite a storm!

See more snowfall reports from the NWS HERE:

Thanks to our latest storm system, many places are reporting deep snowpack across the region. The heaviest being found across the Dakotas through the northern half of Minnesota into Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan.

Believe it or not, the Twin Cities has seen more than 21" of snow so far this season, which is nearly 8" above average since July 1st. Incredibly, Duluth has seen 51" of snow this season, which is nearly 2 FEET above average.

After several days of mixed precipitation and heavy snow across the region, we'll see light snow flurries taper through the day Saturday as the storm FINALLY ends. There could be a little light snow across North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota on Sunday, but amounts should be minimal.

According to the ECMWF (European Model), there could be additional light snow accumulations across the state on Monday as a weak wave of energy pushes through the region. At this point, it looks like an inch or 2 maybe possible. Stay tuned...

According to the ECMWF (European Model), there could be a much larger storm system developing in the Midwest during the middle part of next week. If this verifies, it could be a very white Christmas. There is still a lot of uncertainty with this developing system, but it's one to watch, especially if you have travel plans next week.

According to the GFS, the storm will develop a little farther south, bringing the heaviest snow to the Central US, through he Ohio/Tennessee Valley and into the Northeast late next week and into the weekend ahead. This too would cause major travel headaches for folks leading up to the Christmas Holiday Weekend next week.

The temperature trend shows a significant surge of colder air settling in across the eastern two-thirds of the nation 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 shows much colder temps in place through through the 2nd half of the month. We'll hold onto the 20s Saturday, but will fall into the teens and single digits next week. Some models suggest that it'll be even colder with several nights in the sub-zero range.

The Twin Cities on Saturday, December 17th will be colder with lingering flurries through the first half of the day. WNW winds will be breezy with feels like temps in the single digits much of the day.

Temps across the region on Saturday will be quite a bit colder than it has been as of late. Readings will generally be -5F to -15F below average with temps warming into the teens. It'll be a little warmer to the east and even colder northwest.

Temps through the day Saturday will hover in the mid/upper teens with lingering light snow flurries through the first half of the day. Cloudy skies will linger through the 2nd half of the day with breezy WNW winds of 15mph to 25mph.

Saturday will be a much colder day with breezy WNW winds making it feel more like the single digits. Bundle up! It's going to feel quite a bit cooler than it has over the last several days.

The extended temperature outlook through the middle part of next week will be MUCH colder with tumbling temps into the single digits by Tuesday and Wednesday. Note that temps will be nearly -10F to -25F below average over the next several days.

It'll definitely be MUCH colder over the next several days, especially next week. Temps late next week may only warm into the single digits below zero, which will be some of the coldest air we've seen since February of 2021!

The ECMWF extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows colder temperatures in place through the 2nd half of the month as well. However, this model doesn't get as cold until around or just after Christmas. Stay tuned...

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 6 to 10 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temps across the eastern half of the nation. Meanwhile, warmer than average temps will develop in the Western US.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 6 to 10 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.

Thursday night our street resembled a bad outtake from "The Dukes of Hazzard". My Navy son, who flew $60 million choppers, calls me. "Dad, I can't get up the driveway. Sheer ice. I'm stuck." I walk down and shovel out the rear wheels and then back the car into the driveway across the street. Build up speed, briefly airborne (!) and then sheer momentum carries me to the top of the driveway. It could have been a viral Tik Tok video but only my son witnessed his old man "MacGyver" a solution. Hey, it's the dead of winter. You do what you have to do.

Dreaming of a white Christmas? You will get your wish! The approach of an arctic slap will spin up a major storm, forecast to track from Denver to Chicago next week. 1-2" snow may fall on Monday but the main event (snow, wind, drifting, blizzard?) arrives Wednesday & Thursday. How much? The European model predicts a foot of powder, with a Thursday white-out. This could become a crippling storm, followed by single digit highs Christmas weekend. Enjoy a quiet weekend!

SATURDAY: Clouds, few flakes. Winds: NW 10-20. High: 20.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Decreasing clouds. Turning colder. Winds: W 5-10. Low: 6.

SUNDAY: Colder, peeks of sunshine. Winds: NW 8-13. High: 13.

MONDAY: Light snow, inch or 2. Winds: E 5-10. Wake-up: 3. High: 14.

TUESDAY: Partly sunny and brisk. Winds: NW 8-13. Wake-up: 6. High: 10.

WEDNESDAY: Snow becomes heavier with time. Winds: E 10-20. Wake-up: 4. High: 17.

THURSDAY: Plowable snowfall, blizzard potential. Winds: NW 15-30. Wake-up: 14. High: 22.

FRIDAY: Some sun, blowing and drifting. Winds: NW 15-30. Wake-up: 7. High: 12.

December 17th

1996: 20 to 40 mph winds combined with recent snowfall produce blizzard like conditions for about a 36 hour period over much of the area. Whiteout conditions are common in rural and open areas. Every county road in Yellow Medicine county was impassable by the morning of the 18th. Travelers heading west were stranded in Clara City as plows were pulled off the road. Wind chills were as low as 60 degrees below zero.

1946: Heavy snow is reported along with strong wind across northern Minnesota. Duluth has winds up to 62 mph.

December 17th

Average High: 28F (Record: 53F set in 1939)

Average Low: 15F (Record: -17F set in 1875, 1983, 1985)

Record Rainfall: 0.81" set in 1908

Record Snowfall: 10.8" set in 1908

December 17th

Sunrise: 7:45am

Sunset: 4:32pm

Hours of Daylight: ~8 hours & 47 minutes

Daylight LOST since yesterday: ~22 seconds

Daylight LOST since Summer Solstice (June 21st): ~ 6 hour & 49 minutes

1.9 Days After Last Quarter Moon

The weather outlook on Saturday will be colder than average across much of the nation with temps running anywhere from -5F to -15F below average. Areas of rain and snow will wrap up across the Midwest and continue in the Northeast.

The weather outlook for Saturday shows more active weather continuing across the northern tier of the nation with lingering rain showers in Southern Texas and into Florida.

The major storm system that brought severe storms to the south and heavy snow to the Midwest/Great Lakes/Northeast this week will move into Eastern Canada this weekend. Lingering snow and Lake Effect Snow showers will develop over the Great Lakes with heavy accumulations possible for some.

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 Pacific Northwest.

According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be possible over the next several days across the northern tier of the nation. Next week could certainly bring a wallop of snow somewhere east of the Rockies, which could mean messy traveling for some. Stay tuned...

"NASA is working to reestablish contact with one of the eight spacecraft that make up its Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) constellation, which monitors hurricanes. CYGNSS is the first space-based system to collect frequent measurements of wind speeds from the ocean's surface near the eye of storms such as tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes. However, the CYGNSS team last received data from the satellite designated FM06 at around 4:32 p.m. EST (2132 GMT) on Nov. 26, according to a NASA statement. The remaining seven satellites that comprise the CYGNSS constellation remain operational and have continued collecting scientific data since FM06 went incommunicado last month, according to NASA's primary statement about the incident. The constellation's science work can continue without FM06, but if the team can't reconnect with the spacecraft, the loss will reduce the spatial coverage of CYGNSS, which until November provided nearly gap-free coverage of Earth."

See more from Space.com HERE:

"A blast of Arctic air straight from Siberia is poised to spread across the continental U.S. around Christmas, shattering records and potentially spinning up major storms. Why it matters: Meteorologists tell Axios this may be the most extreme cold air mass to affect the U.S. during December in many years, with computer model data showing temperatures running 30 degrees below average by Dec. 23. The end result may revive talk of more extreme cold as a paradoxical effect of human-caused global warming since the Arctic will wind up milder than average while the lower latitudes freeze. It will also drive up prices for natural gas at a time of tight global energy supplies. It could test electrical grids, as well. The big picture: The Arctic outbreak, which will first affect western Canada early next week before diving into the Plains, Central U.S. and East, is the product of several weather phenomena. There is an unusually powerful area of high pressure over Greenland, known as the Greenland Block, which enhances the odds of cold and snow in Europe and the U.S. There is also an extreme alignment of weather systems over the North Atlantic, which also favors extreme cold in Europe and North America. Next, the final key piece will move into place: An area of high pressure across eastern Siberia and Alaska that will funnel frigid air across the Arctic and into the U.S. Such cross-polar winds are a hallmark of extreme cold outbreaks."

See more from Axios HERE:

"Rivers are critical corridors that connect cities and ecosystems alike. When drought develops, water levels fall, making river navigation harder and more expensive. In 2022, water levels in some of the world's largest rivers, including the Rhine in Europe and the Yangtze in China, fell to historically low levels. The Mississippi River fell so low in Memphis, Tennessee, in mid-October that barges were unable to float, requiring dredging and special water releases from upstream reservoirs to keep channels navigable. Conditions on the lower Mississippi may be easing somewhat, thanks to early winter rains. But as Earth scientists at the University of Memphis, we see this year's dramatic plunge in water levels as a preview of a climate-altered future. River barges are an efficient way to transport bulk commodities, such as grain shipments, and heavy equipment over long distances. But that's true only for normal water conditions. Increased swings between extreme lows and highs on the Mississippi River, driven by climate change, mean that typical water conditions are no longer the norm, and that river transport is likely to face more backups in the future."

See more from The Conversation HERE: