In a winter in which snow has been a scarce commodity, a storm will dump up to 10 inches across southwestern Minnesota by the end of Tuesday.
Snowstorm warnings for southern Minnesota; cold coming this weekend
The Twin Cities will miss most of the snow before the season's first below-zero readings of the season.
January 8, 2024 at 12:54PM
In the Twin Cities, up to 2 inches of snow could fall before the storm winds down on Tuesday morning and temperatures begin a slow downward slide with the first below-zero readings on tap for the weekend.
On Monday, winter storm warnings covered 10 counties in southwestern Minnesota — including the cities of Worthington, Marshall, Slayton, Granite Falls and Montevideo — and remain in effect until Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said.
About 6.5 inches of snow fell in Slayton by the end of Monday morning, and about 4 inches were recorded in Redwood Falls. The new snow was lighter in the Twin Cities, with just a half-inch through noon Monday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Most of the Twin Cities' roads were clear Monday night, while southwest parts of the state were showing more dangerous, icy conditions.
The Weather Service warned drivers in southwest Minnesota and elsewhere under storm warnings to be cautious while commuting. At least a handful of spinouts were reported Monday in southwest Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's travel map showed.
"Travel could be very difficult," the Weather Service said. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commutes."
Winter weather advisories were in place through Tuesday morning for a large swath of west-central and southern Minnesota where places such as Alexandria, Madison, Willmar, St. Cloud, Hutchinson, Mankato, Fairmont and Red Wing could see 2 to 6 inches of snow, the weather service said.
Southeastern Minnesota, including Rochester and Winona, could pick up as many as 5 inches of snow as the system moves east, the Weather Service said.
The metro area could see more light snow later in the week, the Weather Service said, but it won't significantly add to the paltry 5.6 inches of snow that has fallen this season.
After a high temperature of 32 degrees Monday, an arctic air mass will inch its way toward the metro throughout the week and by the weekend make it feel more like January after a balmy start to winter.
"Much colder air moves in by Thursday," the Weather Service warned.
The Twin Cities have yet to record a temperature with a negative reading this season, but that is expected to change Saturday when the mercury is forecast to fall to minus 5 degrees, the Weather Service said.
On Sunday, the readings will struggle to make it make it to 5 above zero in the Twin Cities, the Weather Service said.
