Friday Night Snow Could Disrupt Travel In Minnesota, National Weather Service Says

TWIN CITIES, MN — After Wednesday’s blowing snow and slick roads, quiet but cold weather will settle in for Thanksgiving before another round of accumulating snow arrives Friday night into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow will end early Wednesday, though gusts up to 40 mph will continue causing patchy blowing snow. Road conditions should steadily improve through the afternoon.

The bigger travel concern comes Friday night through Saturday, when a new system is expected to bring accumulating snow across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook says snow is "likely" during that period.

Thanksgiving: Quiet But Chilly

Thanksgiving Day will be partly to mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-20s. Winds will be lighter, and no precipitation is expected. Both Thursday and most of Friday should be good for travel, the NWS said.

Friday Night Into Saturday: Accumulating Snow Possible

A new storm system will arrive late Friday and continue into Saturday, bringing the potential for several inches of snow:

• Snow is most likely after midnight Friday, continuing through Saturday.
• Forecast totals are still being refined, but accumulating snow with light winds is expected.
• A chance of snow (40 percent) lingers into Saturday night before tapering.

Highs will stay in the mid-20s Saturday, with lows dropping into the teens.

More Cold Ahead: NOAA Outlook Shows Below-Normal Temps

The colder pattern isn’t going anywhere.

A new 6–10 day temperature outlook from NOAA shows a strong probability of below-normal temperatures across Minnesota from December 1 through 5.

The core of the cold is centered over the Upper Midwest, with Minnesota solidly in the “likely below” temperature zone.

That means highs in the teens and low 20s will likely continue into the first week of December.

Sunday: Snow Ends, Cold Deepens

Light snow may linger early Sunday, but colder air will pour in behind the system. Highs are only expected to reach the upper teens, with single-digit lows Sunday night.

Here's the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Today: Patchy blowing snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Tonight: Patchy blowing snow before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 26. Northwest wind around 15 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 25. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Snow, mainly after midnight. Low around 20. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Saturday: Snow. High near 26. East wind around 10 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 18. West northwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 0. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 13. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 17. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.