Arctic air poised to dominate early January
After a relatively quiet start to the meteorological winter in December, Mother Nature has awakened Old Man Winter and he's ready for prime time.
Temperatures were some 4 to 8 degrees above normal over the upper Midwest during the month of December. Nighttime temperatures staying well above normal contributed to much of that departure.
International Falls, Minn., had an average temperature of 17.6 degrees for December, which was 7.9 degrees above normal. The average temperature for December at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 4.6 degrees above normal.
Snowfall for the month was rather sparse. How about less than 1 inch at Fargo!
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The National Weather Service reported that Chicago tied a record low snowfall for December with only a trace of snow for the entire month.
A winter storm warning has been posted for far northern North Dakota and northern Minnesota, including Roseau, Bemidji and Ely. The warning is in effect from late this afternoon until 6 p.m. Saturday.
The Weather Prediction Center indicates the most likely region to receive accumulations of more than 4 inches is northern Minnesota.
You can track the development of this winter weather system from the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, N.D.
Snowcover across our region, including the western Great Lakes, is rather sparse as we begin the new year. That is expected to change!
Another snow-producing system is expected to swing through Wisconsin on Saturday night with the potential for several inches of accumulation. In the Twin Cities, the best chance for an inch of snow comes Saturday evening when the colder air arrives.
Much colder air is ushered in by stiff northwest winds overnight on Saturday. Winds are expected to whip up the recently fallen snow with tumbling temperatures.
Minnesotans will be able to boast about bone-chilling wind chill readings on Sunday.
Very cold temperatures are expected through much of the week.
The Climate Prediction Center refreshed their temperature outlook for January and have locked into the models forecasting a very chilly start to the month.
I'm seeing the potential for a snow making event in our neck of the woods next Monday night. MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner will take a look at the latest model data today with an update on the afternoon Updraft blog.