Snow then Yukon cold: 5″ to 10″, Temps to -22 by Sunday
Here we go.
A major 1-2 winter weather punch hammers Minnesota in the next 48 hours. First the snow. Radars light up across Minnesota into Saturday. Most of us endure (enjoy?) 12 to 18 hours of light to moderate snow, with some occasional heavy bursts tonight.
Get up to the minute storm updates on the MPR weather live blog here.
Winter storm warnings are in full effect until 6 pm Saturday. Wind chill warnings kick in at 6 pm Saturday and go through Sunday.
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253 PM CST FRI DEC 16 2016
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST SATURDAY...
...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM SATURDAY TO NOON CST SUNDAY...
* EXPECT SNOW TO CONTINUE...DIMINISHING AROUND 6 PM SATURDAY.
* THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL RATES WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 6 PM THIS EVENING AND MIDNIGHT SATURDAY.
* ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 30 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. IN ADDITION...AREAS OF POOR VISIBILITY ARE EXPECTED.
* PLAN ON DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS WILL CAUSE FROSTBITE IN AS LITTLE AS 10 MINUTES TO EXPOSED SKIN.
* EXPECT WIND CHILLS TO RANGE FROM 20 BELOW ZERO TO 40 BELOW ZERO BETWEEN 6 PM SATURDAY AND NOON SUNDAY...WITH THE COLDEST WIND CHILLS OCCURRING AROUND 7 AM SUNDAY.
Southern storm track
Our inbound low is tracking a little further south than ideal for the heaviest snows in the Twin Cities. I still think the heaviest snowfall band will lay out from the southern metro to the I-90 corridor, but most of central and southern Minnesota gets a very plowable snow tonight. Wind, blowing snow, and bitter cold follow Saturday night into Sunday.
Snowfall totals
Models have backed off ever so slightly on snowfall totals for the Twin Cities. I still think most of the Twin Cities picks up a respectable 4" to 8" snowfall by noon Saturday. The southern metro south to the I-90 corridor gets in on the heaviest bands with some 5" to 10" totals.
Here's the GFS models latest "Kuchera method" snowfall map.
Here's the Twin Cities NWS version of events.
And this may be the best snowfall totals map I've ever seen. Thanks to MPR's Tim Post for the perfect analysis.
Let it snow!