Wintry mess up north, cold metro rain
Weather headlines for Wednesday:
Ice storm warnings for Arrowhead until 10 p.m.
One-quarter to three-quarters of an inch of ice accumulation possible along North Shore and inland
Power outages possible
Winter weather advisories until 7 p.m. for much of northern Minnesota
2- to 6-inch snowfall totals across northern Minnesota
Cold rain for the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota
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Northern Cook/Northern Lake-Southern Cook/North Shore-
Including the cities of Isabella and Grand Marais
406 AM CDT Wed Apr 26 2017
...ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING...
* LOCATIONS...The eastern half of the Minnesota Arrowhead, including the Grand Portage and Grand Marais areas.
* TIMING...Freezing rain mixed with sleet and snow are expected to continue through at least early afternoon. The worst conditions will be this morning.
* ICE ACCUMULATIONS...around one half of an inch, with locally higher values in some locations.
* WINDS...Northeast 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
* TEMPERATURES...In the middle to upper 20s
* IMPACTS...Ice and snow covered roadways will become treacherous and impassable. Widespread power outages are likely due to the weight of the ice and snow on tree limbs and power lines. The outages could last for days in some areas.
Ice reports
Here are a few selected ice reports as of Wednesday morning.
3 ENE Payne [St. Louis Co, MN] PUBLIC reports FREEZING RAIN of 0.20 INCH at 7:00 AM CDT -- IT IS 28 DEGREES WITH A LIGHT WIND. THE POWER FLICKERED.
4 SW Little Marais [Lake Co, MN] CO-OP OBSERVER reports FREEZING RAIN of 0.10 INCH at 7:15 AM CDT -- ICE ACCUMULATING ON THE SHOULDER OF HWY 61.
1 W Silver BAY [Lake Co, MN] CO-OP OBSERVER reports FREEZING RAIN of 0.20 INCH at 8:00 AM CDT -
Wintry mess up north
It is late April right? Our latest springtime winter storm spins northeast today. Subfreezing air on the system's northwest side drives a snowy/icy mix across northern Minnesota. A cold rain continues for the Twin Cities through at least midday.
Snowfall
A swath of 2- to 6-inches-plus snowfall still looks probable across northern Minnesota by Thursday morning. Totals will vary locally, but it will be white in most areas.
Chilly now, slight weekend moderation
Temps continue to run a good 10 to 20 degrees cooler than average. Highs in the 50s return Friday and Saturday. The average high for the Twin Cities by Saturday? 64 degrees.
Sun returns Friday and Saturday?
How about some good weather news? It looks like the sun will return in between our parade of weather systems Friday and Saturday. Clouds return Sunday.
Sunday snow chance?
And in the "hits just keep on coming" department, another chilly system spins our way by Sunday. This one could be cold enough to bring a few snowflakes in or close to the Twin Cities by Sunday night and Monday morning.
I'm just your humble weather messenger.
Warmer days ahead?
In the light at the end of a long, damp, dreary, weather tunnel department, warmer air may finally return in about 10 to 14 days. Our active wet chilly jet stream shows signs of lifting mercifully north into Canada the second week of May.
A return to 60s and possibly 70 degrees by then?
A guy can dream.