Milder temps today; snow overnight into Monday, very cold on New Year’s Day

Our final Sunday of 2018 will feature milder temps, with highs in the 20s in about the northern half of Minnesota, and 30s in the south.

Now, let's look at the coming week.

Temperature trends

Our average high this time of year is 24 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area.  We should reach the upper 20s to around 30 on Monday, followed by falling temps by around mid afternoon.

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Monday highs are expected to range from the single digits either side of zero in far northwestern Minnesota to the lower 30s in the southeast:

rt1231h2

New Year's Day temps will be very cold statewide. Highs will be below zero in northwestern and north-central Minnesota, with mostly single digits above zero elsewhere. The southeast could see a few lower teens:

rt0101h2

Twin Cities metro area highs rebound to the upper teens on Wednesday and the lower 30s on Thursday. We could reach the mid 30s on Friday.

Snow chances

The northern third of Minnesota will have the best chance of some periodic snow showers during the daylight hours of Sunday.

Snow expands to cover much of Minnesota overnight Sunday night, and continues into Monday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning:

rt1230rad
NOAA NAM simulated radar from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning, via tropicaltidbits

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow or rain.

There could be several inches of snow Sunday night into Monday and Monday night from west-central through central and northeastern MN. It looks like parts of the Twin Cities metro area will have a chance of snow showers, and possibly some sleet, anytime after about 10 p.m. this Sunday, and periods of snow overnight into Monday and Monday evening. There could also be a few patches of light freezing rain at times.

As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you will also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Here's the National Weather Service depiction of the potential Minnesota/western Wisconsin snow totals and the Monday afternoon/night wind chills in western and central Minnesota:

rt1230snow
NWS Twin Cities

Winter storm watch

The NWS has issued a winter storm watch for areas to the northeast, including Duluth, where 6 or more inches of snow are possible from late Sunday night through Monday night:

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NWS Duluth

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Duluth MN

352 AM CST Sun Dec 30 2018

...MORE SNOW ON THE WAY TONIGHT AND NEW YEARS EVE FOR MUCH OF THE

NORTHLAND...

.Another round of accumulating snow is expected to affect much of

the Northland beginning tonight, and lasting into the morning

hours on New Years Day. This storm is not expected to bring

snowfall amounts as large as those during the storm a few days

ago, but there is the potential for 6 inches or more of new snow

in areas from the Twin Ports, eastward to the Bayfield Peninsula

and Gogebic Range of northwest Wisconsin. After the snow ends, the

coldest air of the winter season so far will affect the Northland

through Wednesday, with low temperatures in the teens and 20s

below zero, and hazardous wind chills between 25 and 40 below

Wednesday morning when kids return to school after the Holiday

break.

MNZ037-WIZ001>004-302200-

/O.NEW.KDLH.WS.A.0012.181231T0600Z-190101T1200Z/

Carlton and South St. Louis-Douglas-Bayfield-Ashland-Iron-

Including the cities of Duluth, Superior, Washburn, Bayfield,

Ashland, and Hurley

352 AM CST Sun Dec 30 2018

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE

MONDAY NIGHT...

* WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations between

tonight and New Years morning between 4 and 8 inches. Locally

heavier amounts are possible across the Bayfield Peninsula and

Gogebic Range of northwest Wisconsin.

* WHERE...In Wisconsin, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland and Iron

Counties. In Minnesota, Carlton and South St. Louis County. This

includes Duluth, Superior, Ashland, Bayfield and Hurley.

* WHEN...From midnight tonight through 6 AM New Years morning.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be difficult across the region, including

Interstate 35, and U.S. Highways 53 and 2.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for snow

accumulations greater than 6 inches that may impact road

conditions and travel.

You can check the latest forecasts and warnings from the NWS offices in the Twin CitiesDuluth, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Grand Forks, N.D.

Updated road conditions will be posted by the Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments.

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.