Freezing rain and sleet to ice Twin Cities roads, threaten outages Thursday morning
A wintry mix moves into the Twin Cities around 6 p.m. Wednesday, turning to sleet and freezing rain overnight with the worst ice and most dangerous travel expected around daybreak Thursday as temperatures hover in the low 30s and gusty easterly winds blow. Winter weather advisories (and a winter storm warning near the metro and Arrowhead) take effect at midnight, Xcel Energy has crews staged warning that ice could down branches and power lines and cause outages, and conditions should gradually improve after lunchtime as precipitation changes to rain and temperatures climb into the mid‑30s.
📌 Key Facts
- A wintry mix (snow/sleet/rain) moves into the Twin Cities around 6 p.m. Wednesday, then shifts to sleet and freezing rain overnight into Thursday; the period of sleet/freezing rain is focused roughly between midnight and 6 a.m., with the worst freezing rain around 6 a.m. Thursday.
- Overnight temperatures will be in the low 30s with gusty easterly winds; conditions are expected to improve gradually after Thursday lunch as precipitation changes mainly to rain and highs climb into the mid‑30s.
- Freezing rain is the primary hazard — the event is described as “all about ice” — and road conditions are expected to be most dangerous overnight into Thursday morning, with the potential to severely disrupt or “cripple” transportation.
- A winter weather advisory begins at midnight for much of Minnesota, while a winter storm warning is in effect near the Twin Cities metro and along the Arrowhead through noon Thursday for the potential of heavier mixed precipitation.
- Xcel Energy is staging crews in advance and warns that ice accumulation could bring down tree branches and power lines across central and southern Minnesota; utilities say the largest outages will be prioritized for restoration.
- A second storm system is expected Friday into Saturday bringing additional rain and possible snow, followed by colder but quieter weather and a return of sun on Sunday.
📊 Relevant Data
The average winter temperature in Minnesota has increased by 5.4°F, with the average winter low temperature also rising significantly, contributing to more frequent mixed precipitation events like freezing rain due to warmer, wetter winters.
Climate Change in Minnesota — University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Minnesota's winters have warmed more than five degrees Fahrenheit in the past 150 years, reshaping precipitation patterns with snowfall more often turning to rainfall or freezing rain.
Winter storms caused nearly $6 billion in insured losses in the United States in 2022, the second-highest year on record for winter storm insured losses in the last ten years.
Facts + Statistics: Winter storms — Insurance Information Institute
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Forecast frames the event explicitly as 'all about ice,' with freezing rain the main hazard and potential to 'cripple transportation' Thursday morning.
- More precise timing: wintry mix (snow/sleet/rain) reaches the Twin Cities around 6 p.m. Wednesday, with conditions turning significantly icier overnight and the worst freezing rain by around 6 a.m. Thursday.
- Xcel Energy says it is staging crews in advance for possible ice-related outages, warning that ice accumulation could bring down tree branches and power lines across central and southern Minnesota and that largest outages will be prioritized first.
- Specifies a detailed Twin Cities timeline: light rain with some snow/sleet between 6 p.m. and midnight Wednesday, then sleet and freezing rain from midnight to 6 a.m. Thursday with temps in the low 30s and gusty easterly winds.
- Clarifies that road conditions are expected to be most difficult overnight into Thursday morning, with gradual improvement after lunch as precipitation shifts mainly to rain and temps stay in the mid‑30s.
- Notes that a winter weather advisory is in effect for much of Minnesota starting at midnight, and that a winter storm warning is in effect near the Twin Cities metro and along the Arrowhead through noon Thursday due to heavier mixed precipitation potential.
- Adds that a second system will follow quickly, bringing additional rain and possible snow from Friday into Saturday, with colder but quieter weather and sun returning Sunday.