Light Snow Across Central Minnesota Friday - Cold To End 2021 And Begin 2022

As we say goodbye to 2021 on Friday, we will be watching the chance for some snow - but it appears the better chance will be to the north of the metro. Temperatures won't budge much in the low to mid-teens as we head throughout the day with another batch of cold air moving on in.

Here's a look at how the snow potential could evolve as we head through Friday. This band of snow - which looks to mainly move north of the metro across areas like St. Cloud and Duluth - will move through fairly quickly as the loop above goes from 6 AM to 6 PM.

And this fast-moving band looks to produce an inch or two of snow for locations across central Minnesota as we head through Friday. One last dash of snow before the calendar turns to 2022.

A big temperature gradient will set up across the state as 20s hang on for parts of the day down in southeastern Minnesota but you can see that cold air rushing in - particularly up north where some areas of northwestern Minnesota may see highs in the teens below zero.

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As you get ready to sing "Auld Lang Syne" at midnight Friday night (me? I'll likely be several hours asleep already), you are going to want to be bundled up in several layers as you head outside. Temperatures will drop through the single digits above zero through the evening hours, reaching the single digits below zero to ring in 2022 with feels like temperatures near -20F.

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Factor in the wind and it'll feel like the -20s in the metro and -40s up in parts of northwestern Minnesota. Due to these bitterly cold wind chills, numerous Wind Chill Advisories and Warnings have been issued for Friday Night into Saturday morning across the state.

And highs look to stay mainly below zero across the state on Saturday, including here in the metro where we could see our first below zero high since Valentine's Day. I don't think there's going to be as many people out on a first day of the year snowshoe hike with these temperatures.

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And with highs not making it above zero during the day Saturday, that means it's going to be cold for the Winter Classic at Target Field Saturday evening. Temperatures will be in the single digits below zero throughout the game, feeling more like -20F. According to an article Tuesday evening, the NHL still plans on holding the game despite the cold weather. That article also had this fun, cold tidbit: "The coldest NHL outdoor game was the first, the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003. The temperature at face-off was 0; the crowd was 57,167."

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Every disaster movie begins with a scientist being ignored. "Don't Look Up" on Netflix highlights comet-denial, but it's an allegory about what climate scientists have faced.

I don't ignore experts, whether it's an epidemiologist, airline pilot, plumber or electrician. Because when I do, bad things result. We are weary, frustrated and exhausted, but this is probably not the time to lower our guard - or our masks.

Temperature tumble today, holding below 0F in the metro from late this evening through midday Sunday. Expect a "high" of -3F on New Year's Day, with a Target Field temperature of -6F and a windchill of -20 for the NHL Winter Classic. Think warm thoughts and GO WILD!

This giant blob of numbing air forces big snowstorms south of Minnesota into next week. A coating of fluff precedes the arctic slap today, with generally dry weather the next 7-8 days, and a risk of dripping icicles by Tuesday.

As we end a forgettable year I wish you and yours health, happiness & prosperity. In that order.

Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

FRIDAY: Coating - 1" fluff. Wake up 11. High 13. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind N 10-20 mph.

SATURDAY: Sunny peeks, feels like -20 to -30F. Wake up -11. High -3. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

SUNDAY: Blue sky, no bugs. Wake up -14. High 8. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind S 5-10 mph.

MONDAY: Partly sunny, breathing easier. Wake up 7. High 29. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind S 7-12 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy, a stinging breeze. Wake up 3. High 8. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind N 10-15 mph.

THURSDAY: Sunny, more fun with negative numbers. Wake up -6. High 0. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
December 31st

*Length Of Day: 8 hours, 50 minutes, and 16 seconds
*Daylight GAINED Since Yesterday: 45 seconds

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This Day in Weather History
December 31st

1999: It's a balmy end to the 2nd millennium over Minnesota, with temperatures in the 30s over central and southern Minnesota near midnight.

1937: Damage is done by a flood at Grand Marais, while 18 inches of snow is dumped on Grand Portage.

1913: New Ulm has its fortieth consecutive day without precipitation.

Very active weather is expected as we head through Friday into Friday Night to end 2021, with numerous rain, snow, and ice chances across the nation. Record highs are expected in the Southeast. The best chances of dry weather will be in parts of California and along the International Border from Washington to Minnesota.

As we head toward the weekend, heavy rain (3"+) is expected across portions of the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Ohio River Valley, with a band of 3-8" of snow on the cold side of that system from the Front Range to the Great Lakes. In between will be up to a quarter-inch of ice in some locations. Heavy rain and snow will also be possible through Saturday evening out west.

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The nearly 17 feet of snow in California's Sierra Nevada is crushing records. It's still not enough

More from CNN: "After months of extreme drought that triggered water shortages and stoked wildfires, heavy snow is falling in the Sierra Nevada — enough to break decades-old records. As of Tuesday, more than 202 inches of snow — nearly 17 feet (5.2 meters) — had fallen so far this month at the University of California, Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, at Donner Pass east of Sacramento. Scientists at the lab said this month is now the snowiest December on record for the location and the third snowiest month overall. The top month was January 2017 when 238 inches (6 meters) fell, and it's not likely enough snow will fall in the next three days to challenge that record. Records here go back to 1970."

More from Gizmodo: "Dehydration is already a leading cause of death among migrants crossing the border from Mexico to the U.S., and conditions will become worse as the climate continues to warm, according to new research published earlier this month in Science. The study looks at a stretch of land commonly used by migrants crossing the border between Nogales, Mexico and Three Point, Arizona. The researchers compiled a database of deaths in this region over a nearly 40-year span and narrowed it down to the hottest months of the year between May and September. They then used a biophysical model of human dehydration to calculate which points along that stretch would be the most deadly, comparing them to the map of the 93 deaths in their dataset; the majority of those deaths, the researchers found, correlated with the areas of the map where people would experience the most dehydration."

Hawaii's Big Island is getting one of its first utility-scale solar farms

More from Electrek: "Hawaii is going to get a 30 megawatt (MW) solar farm in 2022 – one of the first utility-scale solar farms on the Big Island. Parker Ranch, through its clean energy subsidiary Paniolo Power Company, is working with Canada-based independent renewable power producer Innergex Renewable Energy on the development of the Hale Kuawehi Solar Project. The solar and battery storage facility will be capable of generating enough power for around 15,000 households. It will consist of photovoltaic panels on single-axis trackers plus 120 MWh of battery energy storage across around 300 acres near Parker Ranch's industrial park."

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Thanks for checking in and have a great day! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@dkayserwx) and like me on Facebook (Meteorologist D.J. Kayser).