Our first storm of 2017 will hit the Northland today – twice
Hey, it's January – where's that snowstorm?
Well, Minnesotans don't have to wait long. In fact, the northern part of the state is already under a winter storm warning that will last through Tuesday because it's a two-parter.
The National Weather Service's Duluth office has a full rundown of what to expect here. But these are the basics for an area from Brainerd north and east:
- Snow starts Sunday night, with 1 to 4 inches accumulating by Monday morning.
- Then there's a break until Monday afternoon, although there might be a few flurries or some freezing drizzle.
- A bigger round of snow hits from Monday evening through Tuesday, leaving totals of 6 to 18 inches on the ground.
- Then the storm moves away and leaves really cold temperatures behind.
If you're in northwestern Minnesota, the outlook is for a total of 3-4 inches in Fargo-Moorhead, with up to 8 new inches possible in the northern Red River Valley. And be on the lookout for blowing snow overnight.
The southern half of the state, which is under a winter weather advisory, won't get nearly as much snow. As the map above shows, 2 or 3 inches are forecast in St. Cloud and the Twin Cities.
Far southern Minnesota will get even less, but icy roads could be a problem there. The forecast shows Rochester right in the path of a band of freezing drizzle that will pass through on Monday.
Then Jack Frost turns into a beast
If you've been through these storms before (and what Minnesotan hasn't?) you may have noticed the pattern that winter storms are usually followed by some serious cold.
Well, even though 2017 is still a baby, the new year will show us a nasty cold side later in the week.
Wednesday and Thursday look like the days when temperatures will barely creep above zero. The Weather Channel says the Twin Cities will see a high of 5 degrees on Wednesday and 2 on Thursday. AccuWeather says Duluth should reach 2 above on Wednesday and 1 lonesome degree on Thursday.
