Light snow Wednesday, then Extreme Cold Watch for Twin Cities
Light snow Wednesday afternoon will coat roads (around a half‑inch to about 1 inch in spots) and make travel slick, with gusty northwest winds — locally reaching the mid‑40s mph in western Minnesota — and a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for western and southwestern Minnesota until 6 p.m. Wednesday. Arctic air moves in Thursday with a midday high near 8°F that plunges into the subzero teens overnight and a brutally cold Friday (around −8°F), and an Extreme Cold Watch is posted from Thursday evening through Saturday morning for parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the Twin Cities area.
📌 Key Facts
- Wednesday: mostly cloudy with periods of light snow (up to about 1 inch in spots); Twin Cities metro high near 22°F and northwest gusts up to the mid‑40 mph range in western Minnesota.
- A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for western and southwestern Minnesota until 6 p.m. Wednesday for light snow and strong winds causing blowing snow and slick roads.
- A late‑week Arctic push will arrive Thursday, with a midday high near 8°F before temperatures fall into the subzero teens overnight and a much colder Friday (around −8°F).
- An Extreme Cold Watch is posted from Thursday evening through Saturday morning for parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- The cold outbreak is expected to be persistent: Saturday highs near single digits with wind chills plunging into double‑digit below‑zero values; light snow is possible Sunday and another very frigid day is expected Monday.
- Strong northwest winds — especially across western Minnesota and around Friday — will worsen travel conditions, increasing blowing snow and slick roads.
- Forecasters previously noted a late‑week cold front could produce light snow showers statewide and briefly drop afternoon temperatures into the teens before the deeper Arctic chill sets in.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minneapolis, Native American residents comprise 1% of the population but account for 5% of people killed in pedestrian and bicycle traffic crashes and 4% of people killed in vehicle crashes, based on data from 2017-2021 with trends continuing post-2020.
Safety data — City of Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, Black residents comprise 19% of the population but account for 26% of people killed in vehicle traffic crashes, based on data from 2017-2021 with trends continuing post-2020.
Safety data — City of Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, neighborhoods designated as Transportation Equity Priority areas, which have higher concentrations of People of Color and lower incomes and house 28% of residents, experience 43% of severe injury or fatal traffic crashes (2017-2021).
Safety data — City of Minneapolis
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Forecast for Wednesday: mostly cloudy with periods of light snow, up to about 1 inch in spots, metro high near 22°F and northwest gusts up to the mid‑40 mph range in western Minnesota.
- A Winter Weather Advisory is explicitly in effect for western and southwestern Minnesota until 6 p.m. Wednesday due to light snow and strong winds causing blowing snow and slick roads.
- Arctic air is forecast to move in Thursday with a midday high near 8°F before falling, subzero teens overnight, and a Friday high around −8°F, with an Extreme Cold Watch posted from Thursday evening through Saturday morning for parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Details that Friday’s cold front will drop temperatures into the teens in the afternoon with light snow showers statewide.
- Specifies that strong northwest winds Friday will particularly worsen travel in western Minnesota, under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m.
- Extends the outlook: Saturday single-digit highs with double‑digit subzero wind chills, light snow Sunday, and a very frigid Monday as part of a persistently cold seven‑day forecast.