Sloppy icy mess overnight through Saturday

Our next weather maker slides through Minnesota overnight into Saturday.

This one brings a messy wintry mix featuring sleet, freezing drizzle and a little sloppy snow for our region.

A wintry mix moves into southwestern Minnesota Friday evening. It likely arrives in the Twin Cities area after about 3 a.m. Saturday and spreads northeast.

I like the way the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model handles the wintry mix with this system. The forecast model loop below runs between 9 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday.

Winter weather advisories cover much of Minnesota through 6 p.m. Saturday:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

1251 PM CST Fri Dec 13 2024

…A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN, SLEET, AND SNOW TO LEAD TO SLIPPERY TRAVEL CONDITONS ON SATURDAY… .

Tonight, light precipitation will move into southern Minnesota and spread into central and eastern MN by sunrise

Saturday. A mix of snow and sleet is expected initially, but it will transition to a mix of freezing rain and snow through Saturday morning. The main concern is travel impacts from a glazing of ice and slick roads.

Southeast winds will be light, around 10 to 15 mph, and any icing amounts should be less than a tenth of an inch. For that reason, we do not anticipate impacts to powerlines.

Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Waseca-Steele-Freeborn- Including the cities of Chaska, Waseca, Shakopee, Owatonna, Victoria, Red Wing, Chanhassen, Faribault, Le Sueur, Stillwater, St Paul, Monticello, Blaine, Albert Lea, Minneapolis, and Hastings

1251 PM CST Fri Dec 13 2024

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST SATURDAY…

* WHAT…Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations up to one inch, sleet accumulations up to one tenth of an inch, and ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch.

* WHERE…Wright, Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Rice, Steele, Waseca, and Goodhue Counties.

* WHEN…From midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Saturday. * IMPACTS…Plan on slippery road conditions.

Wintry mix

Amazing what a couple of degrees can do on either side of freezing.

Temperatures in the lowest mile of the atmosphere will hover within a few degrees of freezing aloft through Saturday. A node of warm air a few thousand feet up will briefly melt some of the precipitation. That means a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.

Sunday thaw

Temperatures will rise into the 30s across most of Minnesota Sunday. That will help melt any residual slick spots from Saturday’s wintry mix.

Monday brings another mild day in the 30s with a chance of light rain or snow.