Snow And Ice Storm Late Monday Into Tuesday
As we head into the first work week of 2023, we will be tracking a system that will bring the potential of over a quarter inch of ice in southern Minnesota and 6-12" of snow from southwestern parts of the state across central Minnesota in the Monday/Tuesday time frame. - D.J. Kayser
January 2, 2023 at 12:00AM
As we head into later Monday and Tuesday, we will be watching another major winter storm impacting areas of southern and central Minnesota up to the Duluth area.
- Monday afternoon: A few hour band of snow could impact portions of central Minnesota, with maybe an inch or two possible for areas like St. Cloud.
- Monday night: This is when the main part of the storm starts to impact central and southern Minnesota. In central Minnesota, precipitation would most likely be in the form of snow, with rates of 1" per hour possible in the heaviest snow. Across southern Minnesota - including the metro - temperatures aloft look to be warm enough to melt snowflakes into water droplets. With cooler temperatures at the surface, this means precipitation would be in the form of freezing rain, with a band of at least a tenth of an inch of ice possible from the south metro to the MN/IA border, with some locations down toward I-90 potentially seeing up to a half an inch of ice.
- Tuesday: Cooler air comes in aloft, changing precipitation back over to all snow across central and southern Minnesota. The snow band will start to reach as far north as Duluth. Snow could fall at a rate of 1-2" per hour.
I'm going to start with the icing side of the system, as these totals across southern Minnesota as far north as the metro have me concerned.
- Across these areas, at least a tenth of an inch of ice will be possible.
- Areas down across the southern two tiers of counties - including the Mankato and Rochester areas - could see at least a quarter to a half inch of ice.
- This will cause significant concerns across the region when it comes to potential power outages, travel and slick surfaces. Most of this is expected to fall Monday night.
A band of at least 6" of snow is expected to fall from southwestern Minnesota across central Minnesota, including the metro.
- The heaviest snow is expected out in western Minnesota (where icing is less likely to cut into snow totals). Out in those areas toward Redwood Falls, Montevideo, and Canby, up to a foot of snow will be possible.
- This snow will fall at a rate of 1-2" per hour at times, especially in the heavy snow band from Monday night into Tuesday, meaning keeping surfaces cleared of snow will be difficult.
- The good news is wind won't be as much of an issue vs. previous storms already this snow season, so while we could see some blowing snow it won't be a major concern.
Due to the expected wintry precipitation, Winter Storm Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings have been issued across central and southern Minnesota.
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Monday Across The State
Across the state, we'll watch that wintry precipitation start moving in across southern and central Minnesota during the day. Otherwise, quiet conditions are expected up north. Highs will range from the upper teens in far northwestern Minnesota to around 30F in southeastern Minnesota.
In the metro, we will watch that snow chance start in the afternoon hours, however, the greatest risk of wintry precipitation will be into the overnight hours. Morning temperatures start off in the upper teens with highs in the upper 20s.
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Cooler Weather Later In The Week
After we get past this winter storm, cooler air will filter in for the second half of the week. Highs on Thursday will be the coolest - only making it into the mid-teens for highs. Highs will start to climb once again by next weekend, with highs around 30F next Saturday with some snow chances.
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Snowiest December In Duluth - MSP: 12th Snowiest December
Well, December will definitely be remembered by the snow that fell across the region. The Twin Cities saw 12 days with accumulating snow (more than a trace), with the highest single day total falling on the 21st with 7.4" of snow. The 19.8" of snow that fell at MSP in December was the 12th snowiest December on record.
- In Duluth, the 44.9" of snow that fell marks their snowiest December on record (the previous being 44.3" in 1950). Duluth also technically saw their seventh snowiest month on record ever.
- In St. Cloud, the 22.5" that fell was the fifth snowiest December on record.
- International Falls saw their 14th snowiest December, and Rochester saw their 12th snowiest December.
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Significant Snow And Ice Coming Tuesday
By Paul Douglas
It's 2023. Where's my flying car? Turns out the future is less "The Jetsons" and more "Idiocracy", but at least I'm walking around with a fancy phone. Santa did not bring me a bigger Doppler or perfect weather models but I have enough socks to last a lifetime.
The rumors are true: a January's worth of moisture will surge northward ahead of a storm tracking into Iowa tomorrow. The result will be a 36 hour period of snow, mixing with ice south of MSP Tuesday morning.
Surface temperatures should be in the upper 20s, making this a fairly wet snow. Winds will gust to 25 mph on Tuesday with low visibility, but I don't expect full-blown blizzard conditions.
How much? I thought you'd never ask. The axis of heaviest snow may set up from southwestern MN into the Twin Cities, where some 6-12" amounts are possible by midday Wednesday. What fun! [we do need that moisture].
Teens follow the storm later this week but no polar pain - no negative numbers in sight, with 20s and a few 30s into mid-January. Above zero! Wow.
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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast
MONDAY: Light snow PM hours. Wake up 18. High 28. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind NE 7-12 mph.
TUESDAY: 6-10"+ snow, icy mix south of MSP. Wake up 27. High 31. Chance of precipitation 100%. Wind NE 15-30 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Light snow tapers, slushy roads. Wake up 24. High 28. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind N 15-25 mph.
THURSDAY: Chilly with peeks of sun. Wake up 10. High 17. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind W 5-10 mph.
FRIDAY: Partly sunny and quiet. Wake up 4. High 22. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 5-10 mph.
SATURDAY: Patchy clouds, average temps. Wake up 14. High 26. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind NE 5-10 mph.
SUNDAY: Mix of clouds and sunshine. Wake up 17. High 28. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind E 3-8 mph.
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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 2nd
*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 51 minutes, and 48 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 53 seconds
*When do we see 9 Hours of Daylight?: January 9th (9 hours, 0 minutes, 8 seconds)
*Latest Sunrise: December 30th-January 5th (7:51 AM)
*When is Sunset at/after 5 PM?: January 17th (5:00 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
January 2nd
1941: Grand Portage gets over 4.5 inches of precipitation in 24 hours. That's roughly how much normally falls there during the 'winter' months from November to February.
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National Weather Forecast
For the second day of the New Year on Monday, we'll be watching a complex system in the central United States bringing heavy snow and ice concerns from the Front Range to the Upper Midwest and the potential of severe weather in the southern U.S. Meanwhile, a new cold front approaching the west coast will renew rain and snow chances across the region.
On the north, colder side, of the system impacting the U.S., significant snow and icing is expected from the Front Range to the Upper Midwest. At least a half a foot to a foot of snow is possible from Wyoming to Wisconsin. Freezing rain could bring at least a quarter inch of ice accumulation across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Meanwhile, storms could bring over 3" of rain through Tuesday evening in the mid/lower Mississippi Valley.
Meanwhile, on the south side of this system, we will be watching the threat of severe weather on Monday when we have a threat level 3 of 5 (Enhanced Risk) in place across parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. This Enhanced risk area includes Shreveport (LA), Little Rock (AR), and Tyler (TX). Strong thunderstorms are expected to develop across the southern United States Monday afternoon, lasting into the overnight hours as they travel eastward. A mix of individual and linear segments are possible (and some areas could see several rounds). The greatest threats from these strong storms will be tornadoes (some potentially of significant strength) and damaging winds.
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Full Moons Calendar 2023: The Year Of 13 Full Moons
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Fixing the US power grid: A challenge for 2023 and beyond
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Here's how the largest electric school bus transition in the US is going so far
More from Electrek: "Those big yellow diesel school buses are a thing of the past as the US moves to zero-emission transportation. For those wondering how students and drivers are reacting to the transition, the Montgomery County Public School, which currently operates the largest electric school bus fleet in the US, gives us an inside look at how it's going so far. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is leading the charge for clean transportation to and from school, deploying the largest electric school bus fleet in the nation. The school district expects to transition to a fully electric fleet within the next ten years as part of its pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 100% by 2035."
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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!
- D.J. Kayser
But next week will end with comfortable 60s and 70s.