Weekend thaw; winter’s coldest air in about 10 days?

It's another thaw for much of Minnesota this weekend. Highs push past the thawing point into Tuesday for the Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota.

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North Shore: Lake effect snow

Winds blowing off of Lake Superior will trigger some lake-effect overnight and Saturday. A few inches look likely along the hills above Lake Superior.

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The snow drought continues for the Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota, but there's plenty of snow to play in up north. There's more than 3 feet of snow on the ground in parts of Minnesota's Arrowhead region.

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Here's the latest analysis from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

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Minnesota DNR.

Winter's coldest air ahead? 

There are signs the upper-air pattern over North America will shift dramatically in the next 10 days. A "full-latitude" trough is likely to drive bitter arctic air deep into the eastern half of the United States in the 10- to 14-day time frame.

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NOAA upper air map for 6 pm CST Friday January 25.

That could send the coldest air of winter south into Minnesota. It begins late next week with highs in the teens likely and lows trending closer to the zero mark.

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NOAA forecast temperatures for Minneapolis via Weather Bell.

The 16-day Global Forecast System temperature output suggests the season's first subzero temperatures are possible for the Twin Cities sometime between Jan. 20 and 24.

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NOAA via Meteostar.

Stay tuned.