2-26-18 Northern Plains: Latest analysis on fog chances tomorrow morning and mid-late week storm system. B.

Video (5:00)

Good Monday Morning!

For the first day in a while, no precipitation on the radar this morning with only a very isolated chance of some flurries as some energy works into Northern Dakota and Northern Minnesota late today into tonight. Current temperatures are in the upper single digits to teens with even a few areas above 20 this morning! We will warm up above freezing for nearly the entire region today with just some clouds and those scattered flurries in northern portions of the area.

Temperatures will drop back below freezing tonight, and with some more moisture in the atmosphere and a nice snowpack over much of the area, many areas especially in South Dakota and Minnesota could see freezing fog issues. Here’s a look at the hi-res NAM forecast for visibilities tomorrow morning:

We do have a weak cold front that will work through the area late tonight and into tomorrow… this could produce some very scattered snow showers or flurries tomorrow over portions of South Dakota, but dry air will be a serious issue so little to no accumulation is expected. However, far southeastern Minnesota does stand a better chance for some light rain Tuesday afternoon and into the evening hours.

Additional freezing fog issues and some slicks spots are possible Wednesday morning across much of the region. 

The next real chance for precipitation comes late Wednesday and into Thursday. Currently there is a big spread in model solutions in terms of timing and precipitation. The NAM suggests a wider swath of snow beginning as early as Wednesday afternoon, while the GFS and ECMWF have a more congealed system that produces decent snow for portions of Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Given the upper-level energy, wouldn’t rule out some scattered snow showers Wednesday afternoon especially for Minnesota and the Eastern Dakotas. We’ll certainly watch trends to get a better idea of the storm’s evolution over the next few days, but keep in mind this chance especially for South Minnesota on Thursday.

Again, overall a fairly quiet week for much of the region with some warmer than normal temperatures in the Eastern Northern Plains. 

Have a great rest of your Monday!