Blizzard and Winter Weather in Minnesota, December 18, 2025

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
647 AM CST Thu Dec 18 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Snow showers, gusty northwest winds of 40-50 mph, & plummeting
  temperatures behind an Arctic front expected this morning
  through the early evening.

- Winter travel impacts expected from a combination of the gusty
  winds causing low visibility in blowing snow, & potential
  flash freeze conditions causing icy roads & surfaces.

- Mostly dry and near or above normal conditions expected after
  a cold Friday morning.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 237 AM CST Thu Dec 18 2025

Very intense mid-latitude cyclogenesis off the lee of the
Rockies has led to a widespread, and rather intense low-level
response across the central US. Latest WPC surface analysis
places a 984mb low near the NoDak/Northern MN border with a
front extending straight south. Light rain continues along this
front with no major threat for freezing precip given
temperatures are well into the upper 30s and low 40s
throughout the entire warm sector.

A well-defined dry slot is wrapped into the occluded low, giving
areas a few hours of dry weather ahead of the second round of
precip which should all fall as snow. The leading edge of the
snow showers will be tied to a secondary frontal passage,
shifting winds out of the northwest. This is when things really
ramp up...

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for a combination of
several factors: falling snow, very gusty winds leading to
blowing snow and dropping visibilities, and plummeting
temperatures. Any of these conditions by themselves likely
would not warrant an Advisory, it really is the combined threat
of them all in the same timeframe that escalates the impacts.
Snowfall will be overall light (generally an inch or less),
though the convective nature of the snow environment could
support brief, stronger bursts of snow. If you overlap heavy
snowfall rates with frequent gusts of 35+ mph gusts, localized
whiteout conditions will be possible. The onset of snow will
occur from west to east, with areas of western MN seeing impacts
as early as the morning commute. The area of snow will reach
eastern MN around noon, and western WI by mid afternoon. Snow is
expected to end by the evening commute for western MN. On the
flip side, this may be the most challenging period for eastern
MN and the Twin Cities metro as snow will have been falling for
a few hours and could continue through the peak travel time. IF
snowfall rates are not as bad and snowfall ends sooner, the main
headaches will be dealing with the gusty winds and any icing
that occurs on roadways. The quick drop in temperatures may lead
to flash freeze conditions where any snow and residual moisture
quickly freezes onto untreated roads and surfaces. One thing
that may mitigate flash freeze concerns will be how much the
gusty winds can dry any residual moisture before it has time to
freeze. Snow will wane off from west to east as the low exits
the region tonight.

Friday morning will be a cold one on the back end of the
departing low. Air temperatures will bottom out in the single
digits below zero, as cold as 10 to 15 below zero in west
central Minnesota. Adding in wind, apparent temperatures will
approach 10 to 15 below zero everywhere, and as cold as 25 to 30
below in west central Minnesota. Despite this, temperatures
will rebound nicely Friday afternoon to near normal for most,
with western Wisconsin potentially being the outlier and not
making it out of the teens. Friday also brings the chance for a
shortwave to pass through and bring light precip to the region.
Given recent guidance, any precip should remain as snow, but
P-types will bear watching for any freezing drizzle potential.

Seasonable on Saturday before another brief bout of CAA Saturday
night into Sunday. Looking to Monday onward, a large ridge
develops across the CONUS, allowing temperatures to be above
normal for much of the country heading into the week of
Christmas. Climatological norms are around 13 for lows and 27
for highs this week and by Christmas Eve, those normal highs are
forecast to be our lows. Given zonal flow on the northern edge
of the ridge, no major weather systems look likely in the near
future, aiding in any holiday travel concerns.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 627 AM CST Thu Dec 18 2025

An area of light to moderate rain currently stretches along the
I-35 corridor south of Twin Cities metro, dropping visibilities
into the MFVR/IFR range. This band of rain will gradually move
east, only impacting EAU and RNH through through part of the
late morning. Behind the rain, terminals can expect a lull in
precipitation and improving cigs for a few hours. Any VFR
conditions will not last long, with a strong cold front, and
associated snow showers and MVFR/IFR cigs, progressing east through
the region. The snow showers may be more scattered in nature,
with rapidly changing conditions expected throughout the event.
In general, visibilities should not drop much lower than 2SM,
though the strong winds may heighten how much snow is blown
around.

Winds start out of the west, but shift more northwesterly as the
front moves through. Winds and gusts increase rapidly behind the
front, gusting as high as 40 to 50 kts during the afternoon
across western and southern Minnesota. Winds will be in the 30
to 40 kt range across eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

KMSP...Vis impacts from the rain and MVFR ceilings early this
morning should be brief as the band slides east. Snow may arrive
earlier than 18z, though the main impacts are expected to be
within that 19-23z window as the snow spreads east and winds
quickly increase out of the W/NW.

/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
FRI...VFR. Chc MVFR/-SN overnight. Wind SE 10-15G25kts.
SAT...VFR. Wind NW 10-20G30kts.
SUN...VFR. Wind W 5-10kts.

&&

.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST this evening for
     Douglas-Pope-Stearns-Stevens-Todd.
     Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for Blue Earth-Brown-
     Chippewa-Douglas-Faribault-Kandiyohi-Lac Qui Parle-Martin-
     McLeod-Meeker-Nicollet-Pope-Redwood-Renville-Sibley-
     Stearns-Stevens-Swift-Todd-Watonwan-Yellow Medicine.
     Winter Weather Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for Anoka-
     Benton-Carver-Chisago-Dakota-Hennepin-Isanti-Kanabec-
     Mille Lacs-Morrison-Ramsey-Scott-Sherburne-Washington-
     Wright.
     Wind Advisory from noon today to 9 PM CST this evening for
     Carver-Dakota-Freeborn-Goodhue-Hennepin-Le Sueur-Rice-
     Scott-Steele-Waseca-Wright.
WI...Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to midnight CST
     tonight for Barron-Chippewa-Dunn-Eau Claire-Pierce-Polk-
     Rusk-St. Croix.

&&

DISCUSSION...BED/PV
AVIATION...BED

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
238 AM CST Thu Dec 18 2025

MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-
190845-
Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns-
Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-
Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-
Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-
Redwood-Brown-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth-
Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk-
St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Eau Claire-
238 AM CST Thu Dec 18 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central and
southern Minnesota, and west central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

A winter system will bring strong northwesterly winds that may
gust upwards of 55 mph today. The winds will usher in much colder
air and scattered snow showers. While accumulations will be
minor, the combination of strong winds, snow, and crashing
temperatures may create hazardous travel conditions.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Temperatures will continue to fall into Friday morning, where
wind chills up to -25 degrees are possible across western and
central Minnesota, and up to -15 across western Wisconsin.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed.