Sunny Start Sunday Before A Third Clipper Brings More Snow Sunday Night

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Forecast radar loop above goes from 6 PM Saturday to Midnight Saturday Night

Clipper number two is already impacting the region as of the time this was posted, bringing some heavier snow across portions of western and southern Minnesota - mainly south of I-94. You can see the snow already pushing out of the state as we head toward Midnight Saturday Night.

Overall at least an inch of snow is expected in a band between I-94 and the Worthington area, with an enhanced 2-4" band including areas like Redwood Falls and Mankato.

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Forecast radar loop above goes from 3 PM Sunday to 9 AM

This third clipper will once again bring 1-3" of snow along its main track across northern and eastern Minnesota into western Wisconsin late Sunday into Sunday Night, including at least another 1-2" in the Twin Cities metro.

We're likely to start the day mainly sunny in many areas of the state, however, with that next batch of snow moving in late in the day clouds will once again be on the increase. Temperatures range from the single digits up north to the 20s in southwestern Minnesota.

Here in the Twin Cities, we will start off below zero Sunday morning before climbing to the upper single digits above zero by the late afternoon hours. Sunday's high will actually occur as we head toward the midnight hour Sunday Night! Snow chances mainly hold off until the evening and overnight hours.

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And the rollercoaster continues temperature-wise over the next several days. Highs on Monday will likely be set before or around sunrise, with temperatures otherwise dropping throughout the day. Canadian high pressure moves in behind the third clipper, bringing highs back down to around 0F as we head into Tuesday before warmer temperatures start to return Wednesday into Thursday. And, while not listed here, it looks like highs will continue to be in the 20s Friday! Once we get past any snow that is still around Monday morning, it looks like a mainly quiet weather week in the Twin Cities.

The (Frozen) Glass Is Half Full
By Paul Douglas

What is the winter analog for "Dog Days"? Slog Days of Winter? Winter Doldrums? The glass may be half-full.

We are now past the numbing midpoint of winter. Daylight is 40 minutes more than it was on the Winter Solstice. January is running 5.3F colder than average at MSP, but there are no signs of an extended "Polar Vortex" similar to February of 2021.

Swipes of arctic air? Absolutely. By my count 10 subzero nights in the metro so far this winter. During a typical winter we enjoy 23 bug-free nights below zero. We've saved about 9 percent heating our homes and businesses since August. It can always be worse.

Yet another Alberta Clipper brushes Minnesota with 1-2" inches of fluff later today, followed by yet another arctic interlude. Readings on Tuesday may fail to rise above 0F across most of Minnesota. A temperature roller coaster ride lingers into next week. Not unusual for late January.

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Paul's Extended Twin Cities Forecast

SUNDAY: AM sun, 1-2" late PM. Wake up -4. High 12. Chance of precipitation 80%. Wind SW 8-13 mph.

MONDAY: Partly sunny with a cold wind. Wake up 10. High 13. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind NW 10-20 mph.

TUESDAY: More fresh air. Bright sunshine. Wake up -13. High 0. Chance of precipitation 0%. Wind NW 8-13 mph.

THURSDAY: Flurries, turning colder. Wake up 19. High 31. Chance of precipitation 20%. Wind N 15-25 mph.

FRIDAY: Blue skies, a bit nippy. Wake up -5. High 6. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SW 7-12 mph.

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy, not as harsh. Wake up 3. High 21. Chance of precipitation 10%. Wind SE 7-12 mph.

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Minneapolis Weather Almanac And Sun Data
January 23rd

*When Do We See 9.5 Hours Of Daylight: January 25th (9 hours, 31 minutes, 15 seconds)
*Next Sunrise At/Before 7:30 AM: February 3rd (7:30 AM)
*Next Sunset At/After 5:30 PM: February 8th (5:31 PM)

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This Day in Weather History
January 23rd

1963: A record low of -31 is set at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

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Rounds of clippers will bring several inches of snow from the Northern Plains and across the Great Lakes. Some of the snow downwind of the Great Lakes will be enhanced by lake effect snow. A few areas of rain are expected from Arizona to portions of Texas and Louisiana and into Florida.

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Xcel's long-range plan faces pushback over role of fossil peaking plants

More from Energy News Network: "Xcel Energy's proposal to potentially build two new natural gas peaking plants has become a key point of contention in the utility's long-term resource plan currently before Minnesota utility regulators. The two natural gas combustion turbine plants are part of Xcel's integrated resource plan, a document utilities must submit every few years to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The company's plan also includes repowering two smaller existing plants in Wisconsin and Minnesota to serve as backup power. The vision would make the utility's electricity carbon-free by 2050 but potentially add another 1,000 megawatts of fossil fuel-based power over the course of that transition."

Tesla looks to northern Minn. for nickel

Former BPA chief cautions lawmakers about cryptocurrency's impact on Northwest hydropower

More from the Spokesman-Review: "The former head of the Bonneville Power Administration and Chelan County Public Utility District cautioned a House oversight panel Thursday about the effect of cryptocurrency operations that have flocked to the Northwest in recent years in search of cheap hydropower. At a hearing on the energy usage of blockchain technologies like Bitcoin, Steve Wright, who led the Wenatchee-based PUD until last April, told members of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee what happened when Bitcoin miners started setting up their energy-intensive operations in Central Washington around 2014. "These were small operations in shipping containers, vacant small businesses and residences" at first, Wright said, but soon the operations grew far bigger and caused concerns in the community over safety risks, how few local jobs the industry created relative to its energy use and a lack of tax revenue despite driving up energy costs for local residents."

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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).

- D.J. Kayser