WINDY, COLD, AND A BIT FLAKY....

A powerful cold front is bringing an early taste of winter to some parts of the Midwest. Winter weather advisories and warnings extend across parts of the upper Midwest from Minnesota and Wisconsin as far south as north-central Iowa.

Wind, cold, and snow are the culprits. Here's some of the snowfall forecasts and details from various Weather Service offices.

Duluth, Mn.

Minneapolis, Mn.

La Crosse, Wi.

Des Moines, Iowa

For my local area it looks like wind and cold will be the worst effects from this early season system. Highs the next 2 days will hold in the 30s and low 40s with winds of up to 35 mph. That will create widespread wind chills in the 20s. Even the teens in parts of Minnesota. Impressive for October.

As for snow in my area, it still seems like some flurries or snow showers could get as far south as I-80 late Friday afternoon or evening. Nothing to cause problems. Further north, especially north of HWY 20 heavier squalls could result in a dusting (worst case scenario 1"), especially on grassy and elevated surfaces. The GFS shows the surface low Friday night with snow wrapping in behind it.

Here's what the GFS shows for accumulations through Saturday morning.

Just to give you an idea of how nasty is was in NW Minnesota here's a video from Goodridge, Minnesota Thursday afternoon. That doesn't look much like October!

Something else to plan on is the end of the growing season. For much of the central Midwest and my area the coldest readings are scheduled for Sunday morning when skies clear and winds diminish. Widespread 20s will produce a hard freeze. Lows on the GFS.

The bottom line is this...wind, cold, and some flakes are in the mix this weekend. If you forgot what the sting of winter feels like, this should be a nice reminder. Have a terrific weekend despite the conditions and by all means, roll weather...TS