Windy, falling temperatures today; Icy rain and snow to start the weekend

The bitterly cold arctic air mass that entered the region late Wednesday evening will continue into Thursday, dropping temperatures to nearly 5C below Thursday morning and keeping highs in the single digits Thursday afternoon. The good news is that the wind dies down as the coldest air moves in, limiting the risk of dangerous wind chill. We are tracking another storm system that will move over Iowa early this weekend. This system will have the potential to bring a mix of freezing rain and snow to much of our region late Friday afternoon into Saturday. While snowfall amounts are around an inch or less, this system could become chaotic as temperatures rise Friday night into Saturday. Sleet and freezing rain are possible, especially along and south of I-90. After a dry, mild day Sunday, we are watching for another system to potentially bring some light rain and/or snow early next week.

The rest of the afternoon will be very cold – mostly sunny and windy, with temperatures dropping throughout the day and reaching the low single digits by late afternoon. Add in the wind, and the feel-good temperature will be in the single digits to teens throughout the afternoon.

By late afternoon the wind will die down significantly, which is good considering temperatures will drop quickly overnight. By daybreak Thursday, temperatures will drop to around 5 degrees or below across much of southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. With this cold, even the lightest breeze can drive the wind down to sub-zero temperatures.

Temperatures will slowly recover towards the end of the week. Thursday will be sunny and calm, with high temperatures in the single digits. After temperatures dropped back to near zero on Friday morning, they will rise again to values ​​in the mid to upper 20s on Friday afternoon.

We are monitoring another storm system developing in the Rocky Mountains and moving across Iowa next weekend. This system will bring a mix of freezing rain and snow to much of our region Friday evening through Saturday. If we were to get all the snow with this system, we would be looking at about an inch or less of snow accumulation. The biggest challenge in forecasting this system is that temperatures will rise through the weekend and the possibility of warmer air aloft and on the surface could lead to freezing rain and sleet in addition to snow. This could lead to slippery roads and chaotic driving Friday night into Saturday, especially as temperatures begin to rise late Saturday morning into Saturday afternoon. This system should be shut down and upgraded by mid to late Saturday afternoon. Stay with us for updates. The weather team will monitor things closely and provide updates on current developments.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy and warmer, with high temperatures climbing back into the mid to upper 30s. This will happen again on Monday, and there is a chance that another system could bring light rain and snow to parts of our region Monday afternoon. Although it doesn’t look like anything major at the moment, isolated snow showers could continue until the middle of next week.

Additionally, our longer-range models continue to indicate below-average temperatures and dry conditions late next week through the following weekend.

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