

If you can believe it, we've set a new record here in the Twin Cities for the latest first sub-zero temperature on record. The record at MSP was January 18th, which occurred 3 times in 1889, 2002 and more recently in 2012. Sunday morning (January 20th) should be our first potential sub-zero temperature of the season this weekend.

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Next Snow Chance Early Next Week
Our next snow chance rolls in early next week with what looks like our first coating of snow across the Twin Cities in quite some time. Plan on slow commutes early next week as this system rolls through.

Here's the GFS (American Model) snowfall potential through the middle part of next week, which suggests some shovelable snow potential across much of the southern two-thirds of the state. Stay tuned!
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- Winter weather is impacting parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley this morning, with another area of wintry weather across parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Snowfall totals have been as high as 15” across parts of southern Minnesota where the snow had come to an end.
- Snow and ice will continue to impact the Ohio Valley and spread into the Northeast throughout the day. This snow will continue, heavily at times, across the Northeast into Sunday before finally starting to taper off.
- While several inches of snow will be possible into Sunday across the Ohio Valley, the heaviest totals will fall across parts of eastern Ohio into New England. In eastern Ohio, totals up to a foot will be possible. From central Pennsylvania into Maine, snowfall totals of 1-2+ feet are possible.
- We will also be watching an icing threat with this snowstorm, with areas in parts of the Appalachians, across eastern Pennsylvania into northern New Jersey, and across parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts potentially seeing a quarter inch or more of ice.
- A state of emergency has been declared ahead of this snowstorm in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, there is a ban on all commercial traffic on most interstates (except I-95) from noon today to noon Sunday.
Snow Continues To Impact The Central And Eastern U.S. Snow will continue to fall across parts of the central U.S. today (as far south as parts of northern Arkansas), moving into the Northeast and New England throughout the day. This snow will continue, heavily at times, across the Northeast into Sunday before finally starting to taper off. We will also have to watch the ice potential tonight from the Ohio Valley into parts of southern New England, and once again tomorrow across parts of the Northeast.
Winter Weather Concerns. Due to the potential of snow and ice with this winter storm, numerous Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories have been issued from the Midwest into New England. Some of the cities under alerts this morning for this system include:
- Fort Smith, AR: Winter Weather Advisory through 6 PM tonight for snow up to 2” and a light glaze of ice.
- St. Louis, MO: Winter Weather Advisory through 9 PM tonight for 2-3” of snow.
- Chicago, IL: Winter Storm Warning until Noon today for a total of 5-9" of snow.
- Milwaukee, WI: Winter Storm Warning until Midnight tonight for a total of 5-9" of snow.
- Indianapolis, IN: Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM Sunday for 3-5" of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice.
- Louisville, KY: Winter Storm Warning from 4 PM today to 7 AM Sunday for 4-6” of snow.
- Cleveland, OH: Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM Monday for 6-11" of snow through Sunday morning, with lighter lake effect snow Sunday and Sunday Night.
- Pittsburgh, PA: Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM Saturday to 10 AM Sunday for 4-9” of snow and up to a tenth of an inch of ice.
- Buffalo, NY: Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM Saturday to 6 PM Sunday for 8-14" of snow.
- Albany, NY: Winter Storm Warning from 4 PM Saturday to 4 PM Sunday for 10-20" of snow.
- Baltimore, MD: Winter Weather Advisory from 1 PM to 9 PM today for up to an inch of snow and less than a tenth of an inch of ice.
- New York City, NY: Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM today to 4 AM Sunday for 1-3” of snow and a light glaze of ice.
- Boston, MA: Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM Saturday to 7 PM Sunday for 4-6" of snow and up to a quarter inch of ice.
- Portland, ME: Winter Storm Warning from 7 PM Saturday to 1 AM Monday for 14-18" of snow.
Snowfall Potential. Across the Ohio Valley several inches of snow is still possible today into Sunday. The greatest totals across this area will be across parts of Ohio, where totals of up to a foot will be possible in eastern parts of the state. The heaviest snow over the next couple days, however, will be from central Pennsylvania northeastward through New England, where 1-2+ feet of snow will be possible. Closer to the I-95 corridor from southern New England into New York City, snowfall totals are expected to be lower due to precipitation changing over to sleet, freezing rain, and rain at times during the system. This heavy snow - along with gusty winds over 30 mph at times - could cause some power outages. This heavy snow will also impact travel across the region.
Ice Potential. A swath of ice is still expected with this system as well, especially across parts of the Ohio Valley into New England. Some of the heaviest expected ice accumulations are possible in parts of the Appalachians, across eastern Pennsylvania into northern New Jersey, and across parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. In these areas mentioned, a quarter inch or more of ice is possible. There will be the risk of power outages across the region that sees the heaviest ice accumulation, with slick roads possible wherever enough ice falls to accumulate on roadways.
Chicago Snow Potential. In Chicago, an additional 1-3” of snow is expected to fall with this system through the midday hours today, with overall storm total snowfall totals of 5-9”. However, snow will still continue into Sunday due to lake effect snow with an additional 3-6” possible. Therefore, overall additional snow from today into Sunday could be over 6” near the lake.
New York Snow And Ice. In New York City, precipitation will start off as snow during the late afternoon hours today, turning over to a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain late this evening and then all rain (some of it heavy at times) after midnight tonight. Rain will continue into Sunday before temperatures crash, helping change precipitation to freezing rain in the afternoon hours and causing wet surfaces to quickly freeze over. Overall snow and sleet accumulations of 1-3" will be possible in New York City, with some slight icing possible as well this evening and Sunday afternoon. Better chances of accumulating snow and ice will occur west and north of town.
Coastal Flood Concerns. We will also be watching the potential of minor to moderate coastal flooding Sunday morning near high tide along the New England and Long Island coasts. Due to this potential, Coastal Flood Warnings and Advisories have been issued, with inundation of up to 3 feet possible.
D.J. Kayser, Meteorologist, Praedictix
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By Paul Douglas
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Extended Forecast
SUNDAY: Clouds, flurries west. Winds: E 5-10. High: 10.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy & nippy. Winds: SE 5-10. Low: 4.
MONDAY: Mostly cloudy, few flurries. Winds: SE 10-20. High: 18.
TUESDAY: Light accumulations of snow possible. Winds: SE 10-15. Wake-up: 14. High: 22.
WEDNESDAY: Drier. More clouds than sun. Winds: SW 5-10. Wake-up: 9. High: 19.
THURSDAY: Tumbling temperatures. Winds: NW 10-20. Wake-up: 9. High: 16.
FRIDAY: Sunny. Yes, "It's cold enough for me." Winds: W 5-10. Wake-up: -12. High: 0.
SATURDAY: Light snow or flurries. Slick spots. Winds:S 7-12. Wake-up: -8. High: 7.
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This Day in Weather History
January 20th
1982: Just over 17 inches of snow falls in the Twin Cities. Amazingly, it was to be outdone two days later.
1917: 16 inches of snow falls in the Twin Cities.
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Average High/Low for Minneapolis
January 20th
Average High: 24F (Record: 52F set in 1908)
Average Low: 7F (Record: -32F set in 1888)
Record Rainfall: 0.80" set in 1982
Record Snowfall: 17.1" set in 1982
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Sunrise/Sunset Times for Minneapolis
January 20th
Sunrise: 7:45am
Sunset: 5:03pm
Hours of Daylight: ~9 hours & 20 minutes
Daylight GAINED since yesterday: ~ 2 minutes & 3 seconds
Daylight GAINED since winter solstice (December 21st): ~ 34 minutes
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Moon Phase for January 20th at Midnight
0.1 Days Afrer Full "Wolf" Moon
"Jan. 20: Full Wolf Moon 11:16 p.m. CST - Amid the frigid cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. The Full Wolf Moon was also known as the Old Moon or the Moon after Yule in other cultures. In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most applied that name to the next moon. This year, there will be also be a total lunar eclipse that will be visible across the entire Western Hemisphere as well as Europe and a swath of western Africa. Totality will last 1 hour and 2 minutes."
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"A lunar eclipse and a ‘super blood wolf moon’: how to watch this cosmic event"
"Skygazers are set to be treated to a total lunar eclipse this weekend, on top of a “super blood wolf moon.” The cosmic event is the convergence of a few stellar lunar events — an eclipse coinciding with a supermoon turning an eerie blood red. The eclipse will be visible to much of the Western Hemisphere, including Canada, the U.S., Mexico and South America on Sunday, Jan. 20, and finish early Monday, Jan. 21. Here’s what you need to know. If you’re planning to watch the lunar eclipse, you may have to stay up a late. It begins around 9:12 p.m. ET on Jan. 20. However, you probably won’t be able to see any movement until the first phase of the eclipse, which is set to happen at 9:34 p.m. This is when the moon starts to get a little darker. Around 10:41 p.m., the full eclipse slowly sets in and then the maximum eclipse is set to take place at 11:12 p.m.. Jan. 21. The total eclipse will end at 11:44 p.m. Unlike a solar eclipse, it’s completely safe to watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye."
See more from Global News HERE:
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What's in the Night Sky?
According to EarthSky.org this is what will be visible in the night sky over the next several nights:
"On January 20-21, we’ll have the first full moon of 2019, and the first lunar eclipse of 2019 (and this is an eclipse-heavy year, with three solar and two lunar eclipses). It can be viewed from North and South America, Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northern and western Africa, plus the Arctic region of the globe. More details – and eclipse times for North America, plus links for those elsewhere – below. The eclipse will happen on the night of the year’s first of three straight full supermoons, meaning the moon will be nearly at its closest to Earth for this January, as the eclipse takes place. Now here’s a single, sad last thing. This will be the last total lunar eclipse to grace Earth’s sky until May 26, 2021."
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7 Day Precipitation Potential
According to NOAA's WPC, the 7 day precipitation potential suggests areas of heavy moisture continuing in the Western US with several inches of liquid likely, which could cause flooding at the lower elevations and heavy snow in the higher elevations. Also note the heavy precipitation potential in the Eastern US. Areas of heavy rain will be possible from the Tennessee Valley and south, while areas of heavy snow could be possible in the Northeast
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