Southern Minnesota Snow Thursday

Forecast loop between 6 AM Thursday and 6 AM Friday.

As we head into Thursday, we will be watching a clipper moving across the Upper Midwest. While the area of low passes to our south, an area of snow is expected to fall across southern Minnesota - including clipping the metro in the midday to afternoon hours.

Up to half an inch could fall in the metro Thursday into Thursday Night as this clipper moves through the system, with the greatest amounts (a little over 2") possible in far southwestern Minnesota.

With the heaviest snow expected in southwestern Minnesota, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for areas like Pipestone and Worthington from Noon Thursday to 6 AM Friday for 1-3" of snowfall.

This system is also bringing in another batch of Canadian air with it, as highs will barely reach positive values in northern Minnesota and not make it into the teens in the metro (unlike what we reached Wednesday). The best chance of snow during the day Thursday will be in southern Minnesota.

Highs are only expected to reach the upper single digits in the metro on Thursday, with snow chances increasing during the midday hours and lasting into the evening.

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Friday: This will be the coldest day of the next several, with mainly cloudy skies and highs only in the mid-single digits.

Saturday: Sunnier skies return, and temperatures will be slightly warmer in the metro - climbing to around 10F.

Sunday: A few more clouds will be around, but warmer weather continues to work in as highs reach 20F.

And we have good news after that: 30s return for the metro for next week! This also comes with a slight chance of rain or freezing rain Monday Night into Tuesday and another system after that which could bring more rain or wintry precipitation chances Wednesday into at least Thursday.

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Mildest Winter On Record, To Date
By Paul Douglas

Welcome to the warmest winter on record. That's according to the Midwest Regional Climate Center's Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (WSSI). Even with this week's arctic chill it's been the warmest winter ever recorded for the Twin Cities, Duluth, International Falls and many northern tier cities in the USA. Why? A warming climate, turbocharged by one of the 5 biggest (naturally-occurring) El Nino warm phases of the Pacific since 1950.

7.1" of snow so far at MSP for the winter, where the biggest snowfall came before Halloween. Since then: crickets.

A coating of light snow is possible today ahead of the next clipper. Behind this next salvo of Canadian air the mercury dips just below 0F Thursday and Friday nights. I'm still wondering (out loud) if this is the coldest week of a not-so-cold winter?

I see a streak of 30s next week; an icy mix Monday giving way to light rain by Tuesday. Next week may look and feel more like mid-March. This is the midpoint of winter. An early spring? Dream on, Paul!

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

THURSDAY: Coating of light snow. Wake up 1. High 8. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

FRIDAY: Few flurries. Feels like -15F. Wake up 0. High 6. Chance of precipitation 40%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

SATURDAY: Bright sunshine. Wake up -5. High 10. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind SW 7-12 mph.

SUNDAY: Some sunshine, a cold wind. Wake up 2. High 20. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 10-20 mph.

MONDAY: Cloudy and milder. Wake up 18. High 32. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind S 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Icy mix possible. Wake up 29. High 34. Chance of precipitation 60%. Wind SE 5-10 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Periods of rain possible. Wake up 32. High 37. Chance of precipitation 70%. Wind SE 8-13 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 18th

*Length Of Day: 9 hours, 15 minutes, and 8 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 1 minute and 56 seconds

*When Do We Climb Above 10 Hours Of Daylight? February 6th (10 hours, 0 minutes, 34 seconds)
*When Are Sunrises At/Below 7:30 AM? February 3rd (7:30 AM)
*When Are Sunsets At/After 6 PM? February 29th (6:00 PM)
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This Day in Weather History
January 18th

1996: A blizzard begins across the upper midwest. The Twin Cities Airport was spared the heavy snow, but received nearly one inch of rain. Heavy ice coating in the northwest metro area caused thousands of power outages. Wind chills were as low as -88 (on the old windchill scale) at Crookston. Snow totals were 18 inches at Ely and 12 inches at St. Cloud. Mail delivery was stopped for the day in Duluth and I-94 was closed all day from Rothsay and Moorhead. Flooding problems were caused in the Twin Cities due to backed up water.

1994: Governor Arne Carlson orders all Minnesota public schools closed due to the extreme cold and severe winter weather. Morning readings were in the 30-below-zero range. The biggest problem was from high winds that came with the cold.

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A clipper will move across the central U.S. on Thursday, leading to snow issues from the Northern Plains to potentially the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley. Another area of low pressure in the southern United States brings icy concerns in the Tennessee River Valley to the Mid-Atlantic. Meanwhile, icy conditions will continue across parts of the Northwest as well as another system moves in.

Heavy precipitation continues to impact the Pacific Northwest, with over three inches of liquid possible along the coast and in the mountains (where it will fall as snow).

The heaviest snow through the end of the week will be in the Cascades to Northern/Central Rockies, where several feet could pile up in spots.

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Why we still have brutal cold snaps even as the planet warms to record levels

More from CNN: "After a summer of record-breaking heat, vast swaths of the United States are now grappling with extreme cold as a brutal Arctic blast brings snow squalls, deadly ice and life-threatening wind chills. As unprecedented heat makes way for cold, it can provide fuel for climate-change deniers who point to freezing temperatures as evidence that global warming is overstated. But scientists are clear: cold extremes will still occur even as winters warm overall. Global heat records outpace cold records — 2023 was the hottest year on record by a huge margin. And even as the US struggles to cope with intense bursts of heavy snow now, over the long term, the human-caused climate crisis has led to an alarming trend of disappearing snow in the Northern Hemisphere."

How freezing temperatures are affecting electric vehicles

More from Axios: "Electric vehicle drivers are reporting trouble charging their cars as an Arctic blast sweeps much of U.S. The big picture: Not only does charging take longer in freezing temperatures, some electric vehicle owners are surprised to find how much their car's driving range is compromised by winter weather. Driving the news: Long lines and issues charging EVs have been reported in areas like Chicago that are experiencing bitterly cold weather. Tesla driver Brandon Welbourne told CBS News Chicago that a charge that should take 45 minutes was taking two hours. "I've been here for over five hours at this point and I still have not gotten to charge my car," he said."

On YouTube, climate denialism takes a turn

More from NBC News: "The voices that deny climate change have settled on a new refrain. Instead of rejecting the fact that the Earth is warming, they're now focusing on skepticism of climate solutions, as well as scientists and activists and altogether the idea that climate change will cause harm, according to a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit organization that researches digital hate speech and misinformation. The organization's analysis suggests that the outright dismissal of climate change is no longer as convincing an argument, so climate skeptics are shifting the ideological fight to how seriously humanity must take climate change or what ought to be done about it. The report also claims that the content policies of YouTube's parent company, Google — which are supposed to block advertising money from content that rejects the scientific consensus about the existence and causes of climate change — are ineffective and ought to be updated."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day!

- D.J. Kayser