Snow, dangerously cold wind chills expected this weekend

More snow will return to the area for areas mainly south of Mankato along with dangerously cold wind chills for the whole area this weekend and into early next week.

Today will start off on the warmer side with temperatures in the mid to upper-30s, which is our high for the day. Temperatures are expected to steadily drop throughout the day, reaching the mid-teens by the mid to late-afternoon hours. Snow will slowly taper off throughout the morning hours leaving behind cloudy skies and very windy conditions. Winds are expected to range between 15 and 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph at times. Due to these strong winds, areas of blowing snow and reduced visibility are expected. Winds are projected to start calming down by the late afternoon and early evening hours. As winds die down the concern for blowing snow and reduced visibility will slowly diminish. Tonight will become bitter cold despite winds dying down. Skies will remain cloudy with more snow moving back into the area. Snow will be very, very light around the Mankato area and areas parallel to Mankato. Snow will intensify the more south you head into northern Iowa with higher totals expected along northern Iowa. Snow will linger into Saturday morning as temperatures dip into the single digits. Snow totals will range anywhere from 2 to 3 inches around the Mankato area up to 5 inches possible for areas in northern Iowa.

Saturday will remain on the cloudy side with morning snow possible, again for areas mainly south of Mankato. Snow will slowly clear out by the early to mid-afternoon hours as temperatures hover in the single digits. Winds will be breezy up to 15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph mixed in. With this breeze, dangerously cold wind chills will be expected around the area. It is vital to know what the temperature and wind chill is for your area as bundling up will help prevent cold-related illnesses like frost bite and/or hypothermia. Saturday night will gradually become partly cloudy by Sunday morning as temperatures dip to around -10.

Sunday will continue with very cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills around the area despite partly cloudy skies. Thankfully winds will be much lighter up to 10 mph, with some areas seeing winds up to 15 mph. Temperatures will hover around a degree by the afternoon hours. Be sure to keep an eye on the wind chill in your area so you can prevent frost bite and/or hypothermia from occurring. Skies will gradually become mostly cloudy overnight with a very light snow chance possible. Temperatures will once again dip to around -10 by Monday morning.

Monday will be the coldest day of the upcoming week despite partly cloudy skies in the area. Temperatures will hover around -1 by the afternoon hours with a breeze up to 15 mph and an occasional gust up to 20 mph possible. With the breeze in the area, very cold wind chills are expected. Continue to use extra caution while outside. Try limiting your time outside if possible. Skies will remain partly cloudy overnight before gradually becoming mostly clear by early Tuesday morning as temperatures dip to around -12.

Tuesday will be slightly warmer thanks to sunshine in the area. Winds will still be breezy up to 15 mph with gusts up to 20 mph mixed in. This means that the wind chill will likely be below zero throughout the day despite highs hovering around 10 degrees above 0. Tuesday night will start off mostly clear before becoming mostly cloudy by Wednesday morning as temperatures dip to around -3.

The middle to the end of next week will gradually warm up with temperatures still in the single digits on Tuesday and Wednesday but rising into the mid to upper-teens by Friday through the weekend. Skies will vary from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy day to day heading into next weekend with winds ranging from 5 mph up to 15 mph before increasing by the weekend up to 20 mph with gusts ranging between 20 and 30 mph. Overnight temperatures will remain below zero through Wednesday before hovering above 0 the remainder of the week into next weekend.