Forecast: Two clippers & a real arctic outbreak

After a mild and wild weather year, Old Man Winter set up shop early this year. And that was just the appetizer. The main course rolls in with the season's first real arctic outbreak this weekend.

What esle would you expect in this wacky "anything goes" weather year that is 2010?

Wintery landscape at sunset on a frozen and snow covered Lake Minnetonka Tuesday.

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Two clippers may clip Minnesota over the next few days.

The first will sail through northern Minnesota Thursday. It looks like the low center will track along the Canadian border, and bring the best shot of snow to the North Country, where 2" to 4" could fly Thursday.

NAM 84 hour snowfall suggests 2" to 4" in northern Minnesota Thursday.

Southern Minnesota will be on the edge of Thursday clipper. It looks like the system may brush the metro and much of southern Minnesota with an inch or so. It also looks like the system will pull in enough mild air to bring a shot of freezing drizzle along with the snow, which could slick up roads Thursday.

A second clipper preceding a shot of arctic air may squeeze out some more light snow this weekend.

Two shots at metro light snow: Thursday and Saturday.

Siberian Express on the way: The coldest air of the season so far appears headed for Minnesota this weekend. This looks to be the first true arctic outbreak for southern Minnesota and the metro, which has not yet felt sub zero air this season. Northern Minnesota has already seen lows in the teens below zero, including a healthy -19 in International Falls Tuesday morning!

The first real tree cracking, battery draining air mass will pour south into the metro this weekend. Highs may not climb out of the single digits above zero Sunday through Tuesday...and overnight lows could be sub-zero all three mornings. Wind chills will be well below zero.

Temps rise to near 32 on Thursday, then plunge to sub zero levels by Sunday.

One more chance Thursday to drain those hose faucets and have your car battery looked at before the real Minnesota brand of arctic air locks in.

Wish I had better news in the forecast. It just is what it is this time of year in Minnesota.

PH