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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesotans are about to experience a one-two punch of winter weather. First, a sloppy storm will roll over Minnesota on Thursday, leaving up to three inches of snow in the Twin Cities. Next, a mass of arctic air will blow into the state, bringing subzero temperatures and dangerously-cold wind chills this weekend.
Overnight, the storm system pushed into Minnesota from the south, drizzling freezing rain over much of southern and central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro. Before sunrise Thursday, the wintry mix had turned mostly to snow, which began to stack up on roads. Several crashes have already been reported across the region, at least one of them was fatal. The Minnesota State Patrol says that a 60-year-old man was killed early Thursday in a three-car crash in Albany.
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The snow is expected to fall through the morning hours before pushing into western Wisconsin. As for totals, the Twin Cities is expected to see around 2-3 inches, although parts of central Minnesota could see as much as 5 inches depending where heavy snow bands fall. Greater totals, around 4 to 6 inches, are expected in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
As the snow pushes east, the cold will move in. The National Weather Service says artic air will begin blowing into the state Thursday afternoon with gusts as strong as 40 mph. The winds will whip up the freshly-fallen snow, reducing visibility. Combined with the slick road conditions, the wind will make for hazardous driving. The blustery conditions will continue into the weekend.
RELATED: Home And Car Care Tips For Minnesota’s Approaching Arctic Blast
Temperatures will fall throughout the day Thursday, dropping into the single digits overnight. On Friday morning, wind chill factors look to be around minus 14 in the Twin Cities and around minus 20 in northern Minnesota. Saturday is expected to be even colder, and Sunday colder still. The frigid forecast even forced the organizers of the Luminary Loppet to postpone this weekend’s activates until next week.
The coldest period is expected to be Saturday night though Tuesday, when wind chill factors could be as cold as minus 30 in the Twin Cities. Parts of west-central
and northern Minnesota could experience wind chill factors near minus 40. In such conditions, frostbite can set in on exposed skin in 30 minutes.
So, will temperatures soon rebound back into the 30s? Not anytime soon. The cold air looks to linger into the middle of next week. Highs on Wednesday are forcasted to be in the single digits, and overnight lows will be subzero.
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