Residents of Minneapolis and surrounding parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin should brace for a mix of hazardous winter weather conditions starting tonight and continuing into next week. According to the National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen, MN, the region will experience everything from freezing drizzle to dangerously low wind chills. A Hazardous Weather Outlook released early this morning cautions that "a brief wintry mix of light snow and freezing drizzle is likely across western Wisconsin Wednesday evening."
Lower but non-zero chances for freezing drizzle also exist farther west into eastern Minnesota & the Twin Cities metro, which may impact the evening commute. The temperatures are expected to hover around the mid-thirties today, before a deep plunge is anticipated tomorrow. In preparation, the South wind is gaining strength, which could gust as high as 35 mph tonight. The precipitation outlook is 90%, with less than a tenth of an inch of new precipitation possible, as reported by the National Weather Service forecast.
Looking ahead to Thursday, Minneapolis should anticipate more than just a dip in temperature. An arctic front will be responsible for sending temperatures into a freefall, likely reaching around 16 degrees by late afternoon. "An Arctic front will bring plummeting temperatures, northwest winds gusting to 50 mph, and light snow Thursday," the outlook warns, implying treacherous travel conditions aggravated by low visibility and slick, icy roads. Even the robust northwest wind is set to decrease to 5 to 10 mph after midnight, but not before gusting as high as 40 mph.
By Friday morning, wind chill values could drop to as low as -20 degrees in parts of western and central Minnesota, intensifying the impact of the already frigid weather. A slight reprieve may come with the partly sunny skies predicted for Friday and Saturday. Yet, the gripping cold is foreseen to hold fast, as the National Weather Service forecast projects the temperature to fall again around 19 degrees by Saturday afternoon. Lest winter's grip had seemed to loosen, it mustn't be forgotten that with the south wind becoming west northwest, a chill is certain to scour the bones of the unprepared.
Going into next week, weather conditions remain unsettled with a 20 percent chance of snow on Monday and mostly cloudy skies forecasted. Temperatures are expected to rest at a high near 30, providing a slight and brief reprieve from the bitter cold. Residents should stay informed on the latest weather updates, as conditions can quickly shift during this tumultuous winter season.
