Windy, snowy weather expected for Upper Midwest at midweek
By
Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Dec 23, 2020 10:24 AM EDT
This avalanche rescue dog raced down the slopes alongside a snowboarder in Clear Creak County, Colorado, on Friday, Dec. 18.
A dry and unusually mild stretch of weather has been present over the northern Plains and Upper Midwest over the past several days. The mild stretch will be a distant memory by Wednesday.
The recent mild stretch peaked on Tuesday as records were shattered over much of the Dakotas. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reached a high of 59 F, shattering the old record of 54 set back in 1972. The high was 32 degrees above the normal high of just 27.
Bismarck, North Dakota, reached a high of 47 F on Tuesday. By the early morning hours of Wednesday, the temperature had plummeted into the teens with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures around minus 15 F. Rapid City, South Dakota, went from a record high of 67 F Tuesday to RealFeel® Temperatures below zero Tuesday night.
The tremendous shift to a much colder air mass Tuesday night was thanks to an area of low pressure and an associated cold front moving through from the west.
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Winds will continue to abruptly change from a southerly to a north-northwesterly direction behind the cold front as in continues to slide eastward into the Upper Midwest into Wednesday. Gusts frequenting 40-60 mph will rock areas from the eastern parts of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado to the western parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. An AccuWeather StormMax™ wind gust to 80 mph is anticipated over the High Plains.
On Wednesday, temperatures will not make it out of the single digits and teens in central and eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Meanwhile, temperatures that start the day around 32 degrees in Minneapolis will fall through the 20s and into the teens by the end of the day. As the colder air rushes in, snow is expected as well.
"A storm in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies will come racing eastward through the northern Plains into the Great Lakes late Tuesday into Christmas Eve," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys. "This will bring snow from the eastern Rockies into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest."
Snow totals could exceed a half foot from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area northeastward through the Arrowhead of Minnesota.
As that storm intensifies, winds will increase substantially. These strong wind gusts over 40 mph will cause the snow to blow around and significantly reduce visibilities.
The snow will end from west to east and move into the Great Lakes Wednesday night and Thursday.
Even after the snow comes to an end, the cold will persist. In fact, temperatures are unlikely to climb above zero in northern Minnesota on Christmas Eve. With a bit of a breeze still around, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be well below zero and make it possible for frostbite to occur in a matter of minutes.
The cold will gradually ease for the holiday itself. Some places that will not get out of the single digits in North Dakota on Wednesday will be back into the 30s on Friday.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Windy, snowy weather expected for Upper Midwest at midweek
By Ryan Adamson, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Dec 23, 2020 10:24 AM EDT
This avalanche rescue dog raced down the slopes alongside a snowboarder in Clear Creak County, Colorado, on Friday, Dec. 18.
A dry and unusually mild stretch of weather has been present over the northern Plains and Upper Midwest over the past several days. The mild stretch will be a distant memory by Wednesday.
The recent mild stretch peaked on Tuesday as records were shattered over much of the Dakotas. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reached a high of 59 F, shattering the old record of 54 set back in 1972. The high was 32 degrees above the normal high of just 27.
Bismarck, North Dakota, reached a high of 47 F on Tuesday. By the early morning hours of Wednesday, the temperature had plummeted into the teens with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures around minus 15 F. Rapid City, South Dakota, went from a record high of 67 F Tuesday to RealFeel® Temperatures below zero Tuesday night.
The tremendous shift to a much colder air mass Tuesday night was thanks to an area of low pressure and an associated cold front moving through from the west.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Winds will continue to abruptly change from a southerly to a north-northwesterly direction behind the cold front as in continues to slide eastward into the Upper Midwest into Wednesday. Gusts frequenting 40-60 mph will rock areas from the eastern parts of Montana, Wyoming and Colorado to the western parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. An AccuWeather StormMax™ wind gust to 80 mph is anticipated over the High Plains.
On Wednesday, temperatures will not make it out of the single digits and teens in central and eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Meanwhile, temperatures that start the day around 32 degrees in Minneapolis will fall through the 20s and into the teens by the end of the day. As the colder air rushes in, snow is expected as well.
"A storm in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies will come racing eastward through the northern Plains into the Great Lakes late Tuesday into Christmas Eve," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys. "This will bring snow from the eastern Rockies into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest."
Snow totals could exceed a half foot from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area northeastward through the Arrowhead of Minnesota.
As that storm intensifies, winds will increase substantially. These strong wind gusts over 40 mph will cause the snow to blow around and significantly reduce visibilities.
The snow will end from west to east and move into the Great Lakes Wednesday night and Thursday.
Even after the snow comes to an end, the cold will persist. In fact, temperatures are unlikely to climb above zero in northern Minnesota on Christmas Eve. With a bit of a breeze still around, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be well below zero and make it possible for frostbite to occur in a matter of minutes.
The cold will gradually ease for the holiday itself. Some places that will not get out of the single digits in North Dakota on Wednesday will be back into the 30s on Friday.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo