Two more subzero mornings; flakes next Monday and Tuesday

I stepped outside this morning and it felt plenty cold, even though the winds were light.

The official air temperature was 9 below zero at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport at the time, but many spots in northern Minnesota dipped into the 20s below zero this morning.

The coldest spot that we've seen in Minnesota this morning is Embarrass, at 34 below:

Broadcasters in warmer parts of the United States love to mention our cold winter temps, and it's probably an added bonus to some of them when they can mention a town named Embarrass.

Let's embrace the cold. At least there are no mosquitoes!

Weekend temps

Single digit highs are expected over most of Minnesota Friday, and a few spots in the far north could top out slightly below zero.

All of Minnesota will see below zero low temps this weekend.

Minnesota highs will be in the single digits again on Saturday:

Slight warmer highs in the teens are on tap for much of Minnesota on Sunday:

Southern and central Minnesota will see above zero lows, and highs in the 20s Monday and Tuesday.

Snow returns

Our next decent snow could happen Monday night into Tuesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential snow pattern:

Some rain or freezing rain will also be possible over southern Minnesota Monday night.

Winds will also pick up from Monday night into Tuesday.

We'll keep you updated.

Flooding west, wintry blast southeast

California is bracing for another shot of heavy rains this weekend, with heavy snow in the mountains.

The weekend precipitation will be due to an "atmospheric river" that will deliver copious amounts of moisture to northern and central California.

According to NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory:

Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) are relatively narrow regions in the atmosphere that are responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside of the tropics. While ARs come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor, the strongest winds, and stall over watersheds vulnerable to flooding, can create extreme rainfall and floods.

These events can disrupt travel, induce mud slides, and cause catastrophic damage to life and property. However, not all ARs cause damage – most are weak, and simply provide beneficial rain or snow that is crucial to water supply.

Flood watches are in effect this weekend and early next week for much of central and northern California.

Some areas could see the worst flooding since 2005:

In the southeastern part of the United States, a wintry mix is causing problems.

Winter storm warnings extend from Alabama to Virginia from today into tomorrow, for a combination of snow and freezing rain:

It doesn't take a lot of snow or ice to cause major problems in areas that have very few plows or sanding trucks.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.