One, two punch

This holiday weekend is shaping up to see two rounds of weather as two low pressure centers track over Minnesota during the day on Thursday and then again on Friday. The two storm tracks are plotted below.

The first round will be a rain event as temperatures will be well above freezing (temperature projected to be above the freezing mark, the green line, in the chart below) during the day on Thursday before dipping below the 32 degree mark late Thursday night into Friday. This will force the change over from rain to snow.

Rain totals for Thursday range from two tenths to four tenths. This will create slick roads during the overnight hours into Friday.

As far as snow goes on Friday, we could see a few inches of snow out of the second system as it moves in, but nothing major. It will be the rain freezing over that will create the greatest problems.

Welcome to the world of everything!

RS

New Year’s Eve winter mess?

Looking ahead towards New Year’s Eve, there is a chance that this next weather system could cause a real travel headache for New Year’s Eve plans that you may have.  The GFS forecast model is indicating well over an inch of water, which would equate out to over a foot of snow, however, it appears that enough warm air will mix in to create a mix of rain/snow/ice.  You may also notice the tight isobars, which indicate strong winds with the low pressure center that will move along the Minnesota/Iowa border by next Friday night.  This one is looking pretty ugly and I advise you watch for updates if you have to travel.  You may be better off staying home and not risking it if this storm is as advertised, but it’s still a ways out.

RS