931
FXUS63 KMPX 081748
AFDMPX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1148 AM CST THU JAN 8 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- AREAS OF DENSE FOG AND FREEZING FOG TO PERSIST THROUGH SUNRISE
OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL-EASTERN MN INTO WESTERN WI THIS MORNING.
- MILD TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S ARE EXPECTED TODAY,
FOLLOWED BY COLDER TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
- A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT
OVER SOUTHERN-EASTERN MN INTO WESTERN WI. LITTLE TO NO SNOW
ACCUMULATION EXPECTED.
- ANOTHER SYSTEM ON SATURDAY LOOKS TO BRING MINOR ACCUMULATING
SNOW FOR MAINLY WESTERN WI.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 256 AM CST THU JAN 8 2026
SURFACE ANALYSIS EARLY THIS MORNING DEPICTS A SPLIT FLOW
PATTERN WITH A 998MB LOW OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA PROVINCE WITH AN
ASSOCIATED SOUTHWARD-SAGGING COLD FRONT OVER THE EASTERN
DAKOTAS ALONG WITH A STRONGER DEVELOPING 997MB LOW OVER EASTERN
CO AND THE TX/OK PANHANDLE AREA. WEAK ZONAL FLOW ALOFT IS
SITUATED OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST BUT A WEAK SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT IS RESULTING IN SE WINDS UNDER 5MPH WITH MAINLY CLEAR
SKIES BUT MODEST WARM AIR AND MOISTURE ADVECTION. THIS
COMBINATION IS PRODUCING EXPANDING FOG AND FREEZING FOG ACROSS
MUCH OF CENTRAL-EASTERN MN INTO WESTERN WI, SOME OF WHICH HAS
VISIBILITIES UNDER 1/2SM. THUS, A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN PLACE
THRU 9AM THIS MORNING. THE COMPLICATION IS THAT THE FOG WILL BE
SLOW TO LIFT AS WARM AIR ADVECTION ATOP A CONTINUED, ALBEIT
DIMINISHING, SNOWPACK WILL NOT ALLOW THE FOG TO DISSIPATE
RAPIDLY AND THUS THE FOG COULD PERSIST INTO LATER THIS MORNING.
AS TO THE MORE BROAD SYNOPTIC PICTURE ALOFT, THE CANADIAN LOW IS
ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH ALOFT BUT THE
DEVELOPING LOW IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
A MORE POTENT SOUTHERN STREAM TROUGH ALOFT.
AS THE DAY PROGRESSES TODAY, THE SOUTHERN TROUGH WILL BECOME THE
DOMINANT FEATURE, ABSORBING NOT ONLY THE WEAK CANADIAN TROUGH
BUT ALSO NUDGING THE CO/PANHANDLE LOW NORTHEAST THROUGH THE
PLAINS AND MID-MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY REGIONS THROUGH TODAY
THEN PUSHING IT INTO THE GREAT LAKES TONIGHT. THE COMBINATION OF
PACIFIC AND GULF MOISTURE DRAGGED NORTHEAST WITH THIS SOUTHERN
STREAM SYSTEM WILL BE REALIZED STARTING THIS AFTERNOON IN
SOUTHERN MN, THEN SPREADING NORTHEAST THROUGH TONIGHT. THE
DEEPENING MOISTURE COLUMNS LOOKS TO ELIMINATE ANY THREAT FOR
FZDZ/FZRA AT THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION, THUS THE ONLY PRECIP
TYPES EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM IS RAIN, THEN A RAIN/SNOW
MIXTURE, THEN ALL SNOW THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. QPF LOOKS
TO RANGE FROM 0.1-0.2" LIQUID FROM AROUND MKT UP THROUGH MSP,
WITH CLOSER TO 0.3" LIQUID FROM AROUND ALBERT LEA TO EAU CLAIRE.
MOST OF THIS WILL ENTIRELY BE REALIZED AS RAIN DUE TO
TEMPERATURES INTO THE 36-39 DEGREE RANGE AT PRECIP ONSET.
HOWEVER, AS TEMPERATURES DROP CLOSER TO THE 33-35 DEGREE RANGE
GOING INTO THE EVENING HOURS, PRECIP WILL CHANGE OVER TO LIGHT
SNOW, WHICH WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS FOR
FAR SOUTHEASTERN MN THROUGH WESTERN WI. SNOW ACCUMS WILL BE
LIGHT, RANGING FROM A TRACE TO A HALF INCH FOR AREAS RECEIVING
SNOW.
THE COLD FRONT OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE WELL INTO THE OHIO VALLEY
COME DAYBREAK FRIDAY, BRINGING IN COLDER AIR THAT WILL RESIDE
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. HIGHS ON FRIDAY WILL ONLY RANGE FROM THE
MID 20S TO LOWER 30S, WITH CONTINUED COLD AIR ADVECTION THROUGH
THE WEEKEND. ALONG WITH SAID COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL BE A
CLIPPER-TYPE LOW AND A SHARP LONGWAVE TROUGH WHICH WILL BREEZE
ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. A DEEP UPPER
LOW LOOKS TO FORM OUT OF THE TROUGH RIGHT ATOP THE WFO MPX
COVERAGE AREA SATURDAY, WHICH WILL HELP PROMOTE SNOWFALL
PRODUCTION FOR MAINLY WESTERN WI AND POINTS EAST. THUS, EVEN
WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 15-25 DEGREES RANGE ACROSS THE
COVERAGE AREA ON SATURDAY, THE ONLY AREAS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE
MINOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL LOOKS TO BE AREAS EAST OF I-35, AND
IN THE RANGE OF 1-2" AT BEST.
DRY AND TRANQUIL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY
NIGHT (AND POTENTIALLY LONGER) AS A LONGWAVE RIDGE BUILDS IN
THE WESTERN CONUS AND SLOWLY SPREADS EASTWARD DURING THE FIRST
HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THUS, THIS MEANS THE WEEKEND COLD SPELL WILL
END COME MONDAY AS HIGHS RETURN TO THE 35-45 DEGREE RANGE. MINOR
SYSTEMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM TUESDAY ONWARD, FEATURING A RAIN/SNOW
MIXTURE, BUT NOTHING STRONG IS EVIDENT IN ANY GIVEN MODEL
SOLUTION. THUS, THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WILL CONTINUE TO FEATURE
MILD TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH LOW AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION, IF
ANYTHING IS ACTUALLY REALIZED.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 1131 AM CST THU JAN 8 2026
RAIN IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN MN THIS AFTERNOON AND
SPREAD NORTHEAST INTO THE EVENING HOURS. PRECIP IS EXPECTED
ALONG AND EAST OF A MKT-MSP LINE. RAIN WILL LIKELY MIX WITH
AND/OR CHANGE OVER TO SNOW PRIOR TO ENDING. IF/WHEN THIS
TRANSITION HAPPENS WILL DEPEND ON PRECIPITAITON RATES. IF THEY
BECOME STRONG ENOUGH, SNOW WILL BE ABLE TO COOL THE VERTICAL
PROFILE, ALLOWING MORE TO FALL AS SNOW. LOWER VISIBILITIES ALSO
DEPEND ON WHETHER OR NOT THE RAIN FULLY TRANSITIONS TO SNOW.
LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. CEILINGS WILL DROP TO
MVFR WITH THE PRECIP AND LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
THEN RETURN TO VFR BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS TO BECOME
MORE NORTHERLY THIS AFTERNOON, INCREASING OVERNIGHT AND BECOMING
MORE NORTHWESTERLY ON FRIDAY.
KMSP...VFR TO START THE PERIOD, WITH A FEW SCATTERED CLOUDS AOB
010 POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. LOWER CONFIDENCE IN SEEING THESE
LED TO OMISSION FROM THE TAF. MVFR CEILINGS WILL DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON THEN STEADILY LOWER, DEGRADING AROUND THE TIME THAT
RAIN SHOWERS MOVE INTO THE TWIN CITIES METRO BY 5PM. PRECIP
WILL BEGIN AS RAIN, STAYING THAT WAY THROUGH THE EVENING PUSH. A
MIX WITH, AND POTENTIALLY FULL CHANGEOVER TO, WET SNOW THIS
EVENING IS LIKELY BEFORE ENDING. VISIBILITY IS MOST LIKELY TO
DROP DURING ANY POTENTIAL SNOW PERIOD. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION
IS EXPECTED. LOW MVFR CEILINGS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE INTO THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS THEN CONDITIONS IMPROVE TO VFR THEREAFTER.
/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
SAT...MVFR. CHC IFR/-SN. WIND NW 10-20 KTS.
SUN...VFR. WIND NW 5-10 KTS BCMG SW 5-10 KTS.
MON...VFR. WIND SW 5-10 KTS BCMG W 5-10KTS.
MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
DISCUSSION...JPC
AVIATION...PV
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page