Winter finally arrives, warnings up north

The clash of seasons hit Minnesota today. To the northwest, a wintry air mass invaded the Red River Valley.

In the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, the October-like air mass delivered record December warmth. The Twin Cities posted a new high temperature record with 57 degrees and a new dew point record with 55 degrees.

Thermometers in Rochester soared hit 64 degrees Monday. That's the warmest day ever recorded in December.

The national temperature map tells the story. Two radically different air masses are mixing it up over the Upper Midwest.

Wintry blast up north

From the Red River Valley to the North Shore, winter is delivering a significant early December punch. Blizzard and winter storm warnings continue through tonight. Snow totals could reach 6" to 12" across far northern Minnesota.

Including the cities of Bigfork, Walker, Grand Rapids,

Pine River, Brainerd, and Hill City

325 PM CST Mon Dec 4 2017

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST

TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches,

with localized amounts up to 9 inches, along with strong

northwest winds gusting up to 40 mph later tonight. Plan on

difficult travel conditions.

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

* WHEN...Until 6 AM CST Tuesday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Be prepared for snow and ice covered roads,

and significant reductions in visibility at times. Heavy wet

snow will also accumulate on trees and power lines, and could

result in some power outages.

Low pressure moves out Thursday

The rain snow line pushes east across Minnesota overnight. The low pulls out Tuesday, leaving cold northwest winds in its wake.

Cold week ahead

No gradual easing into winter this month. We fall of the temperature cliff and stay there this week.

The season formerly known as winter has arrived.

Extreme fire danger in Southern California