Snowy Saturday northern MN; shower chance south

Only one half inch of snow was measured at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Friday afternoon and evening.

Snow totals were much higher in the north metro and parts of central and northern Minnesota.

Maple Grove reported 3 inches of snow by Friday evening, and 4.4 inches fell in Fridley.

St. Cloud had 4 inches through midnight Friday, and 3 inch totals were reported in Alexandria, Hinckley and Duluth.

One of the highest totals so far is 5.5 inches near Foreston, in Mille Lacs county.

Additional snow reports are likely to be posted today by the National Weather Service.

There's also an interactive map that allows you to click on a location for snow totals.

Snow north on Saturday

Southern Minnesota could see some rain or snow showers Saturday morning, then some rain showers and spotty flakes Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Northern Minnesota will see periods of snow Saturday, with a chance of some rain or light freezing rain mixed in at times.

There could also be some scattered snow showers in northern Minnesota on Sunday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday through Saturday night and Sunday morning:

Winter weather advisories are in effect for much of northern Minnesota Saturday and Saturday evening due to snow, possible freezing rain at times, low visibilities and slippery roads.

In northwestern Minnesota, the advisory goes until 1 a.m. Sunday:

Details of the advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Grand Forks ND

721 AM CDT Sat Nov 4 2017

MNZ001-004>009-013>017-022>024-028-050600-

/O.CON.KFGF.WW.Y.0013.000000T0000Z-171105T0600Z/

West Polk-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-West Marshall-

East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-East Polk-

North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-South Clearwater-Hubbard-

East Becker-

Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Hallock,

Karlstad, Lancaster, Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Baudette,

Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Newfolden, Middle River, Grygla,

Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah, Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls,

Fosston, Fertile, McIntosh, Erskine, Bagley, Clearbrook, Bemidji,

Mahnomen, Naytahwaush, Waubun, Alida, Ebro, Lake Itasca,

Long Lost Lake, Lower Rice Lake, Roy Lake, Upper Rice Lake,

Park Rapids, and Wolf Lake

721 AM CDT Sat Nov 4 2017

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CDT

SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Mixed precipitation occurring. Plan on slippery road

conditions. Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches,

with localized amounts up to 7 inches, and ice accumulations

of a light glaze are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 1 AM CDT Sunday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Be prepared for reduced visibilities at

times.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or

freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for

slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while

driving. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling

from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

In much of north-central and northeastern Minnesota, the advisory continues until 10 p.m. Saturday:

Details of the northeastern Minnesota advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Duluth MN

658 AM CDT Sat Nov 4 2017

MNZ010-011-018-019-025-026-035-050000-

/O.CON.KDLH.WW.Y.0027.000000T0000Z-171105T0300Z/

Koochiching-North St. Louis-North Itasca-Central St. Louis-

North Cass-South Itasca-Northern Aitkin-

Including the cities of International Falls, Ely, Bigfork,

Hibbing, Walker, Grand Rapids, and Hill City

658 AM CDT Sat Nov 4 2017

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS

EVENING...

* WHAT...Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are expected

with locally higher amounts.

* WHERE...Northeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Through 10 PM Saturday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Be prepared for reduced visibilities at

times.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or

freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for

slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while

driving. The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be obtained

by calling 511 in state, or 1-800-542-0220. For Wisconsin, call

511 in state, or 1-866-511-9472

In the Duluth area, the winter weather advisory ends at 10 a.m. Saturday.

You can check with the Minnesota Department of Transportation for the latest Minnesota road conditions.

You can get updated advisories and weather info on the Minnesota Public Radio Network and on the MPR News live weather blog.

Temperature trends

Saturday highs are expected to be in the 30s over about the northern half of Minnesota, with some lower 40s in the south.

On Sunday, highs will range from the upper 20s northwest to the lower 40s southeast:

Some Twin Cities metro area locations could touch 40 degrees late Sunday morning, then slowly fall through the 30s in the afternoon.

On Monday, 30s will be common in central and southern Minnesota, with 20s north:

Our average high temp in the Twin Cities is 47 degrees on November 6, so 30s are unusually chill.

Last year, the Twin Cities high temp was 70 degrees on November 6th!

Twin Cities highs are expected to stay in the 30s next Tuesday through Thursday, then reach the 40s on Friday.

Set clocks back

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. this Sunday November 5, so we should turn our clocks back one hour before going to sleep Saturday night:

People who don't turn their clocks back will be one hour early for everything on Sunday.

I guess that's better than being one hour late, which happens to some of us when we forget to change our clocks in the Spring.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.