Thursday, January 1, 2026  2:10 AM 

Prepared by Bob Weisman, SCSU Meteorologist and Professor Emeritus

Again, Some Light Snow Early, But Cold to Persist Through Tomorrow

Temperatures (see NWS Aviation Weather Center METAR map) may be 30 degrees colder (see 24-hour temperature change map from Penn State ewall) than this time yesterday, but the clouds (see College of DuPage North America clean infrared satellite loop) and the radar (see College of DuPage north central radar US loop) look similar. Another relatively weak low is running along the front separating very warm air (Nebraska and Iowa southward on the 3 PM NWS WPC North America zoom-in map) from the much colder air (Minnesota and North Dakota northward). Temperatures are currently rising back from near zero as the clouds move in, but wind chills are in the minus single digits to the minus teens (see NWS hourly Minnesota weather round-up).

That will bring a period of light snow to Minnesota during the early morning hours through sunrise, much like yesterday. Similar to yesterday, the potential snowfall is between a dusting and an inch.

Otherwise, we have today and tomorrow in the cold air with highs around 10 and lows tonight in the minus single digits. Then, we will see a slow trend towards milder temperatures over the weekend. Highs will climb back into the teens and perhaps approach 20 degrees.

Even milder air will try to work in early next week. That would bring another chance for some light snow or flurries Sunday into Sunday evening and the chance for some dense fog late Sunday night into Monday morning. But, we will see potential highs well into the 20's and perhaps approaching 30.

We will remain near the boundary between the very warm air to our south and the cold air to the north. However, this wedge of cold air in Manitoba and western Ontario now (see dark blue on the Alicia Bentley 850 mb potential temperature chart) will push through Quebec and Labrador by the weekend (use right arrows to step forward in time). There still will be the coldest of the cold air stuck in Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories, but the steering winds will be more west-to-east, giving us the potential for a much milder week next week. However, the computer forecasts have just changed to this milder scenario over the past week, so I don't have a great deal of confidence in the milder trend....yet.

December 2025 finished with two days milder than average (yesterday not shown yet on the NWS St. Cloud December 2025 high/low temperature table), mainly since yesterday began with above freezing temperatures during the early morning hours (see 7-day graph of St. Cloud temperatures from MesoWest), but it won't be enough to prevent St. Cloud's second colder than average month of the past 32 months since April 2023.

It will take a bit, but I am working on the December 2025 and Annual 2025 St. Cloud weather summary. The additional light snow yesterday pushed our December snowfall to 16.1 inches, the 15th highest December on record. For the season, St. Cloud has seen 24.1 inches, which is the 20th highest Sept-Dec snowfall in St. Cloud records. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources climatology division mostly rated warm-season weather in the Top 5 Minnesota Weather Events of 2025. While severe weather was limited, the storms that produced major wind damage in Bemidji were rated the #1 event. #2 was the repeated episodes of smoke from Canadian wildfires. Numbers 3 and 4 were heat, both early (May) and late (October).

Ground and Air Travel Links

• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Iowa
• Wisconsin
• Manitoba
• Ontario
• Air Travel Delays and Cancellations from FlightAware.com

Detailed St. Cloud, MN, and Vicinity Forecast

Confidence Level: "The Bugs Are Waiting for Me to Mow the Lawn"

Thursday 1/1/2026: A cold start to the New Year. Mostly cloudy with a chance for mainly morning light snow or flurries. A chance for between a dusting and an inch of new snowfall. Perhaps some sunny periods during the afternoon. High: between 8 and 13. Winds: NW 5-10 MPH during the morning, SW 5-10 MPH during the afternoon. Chance of measurable snowfall: 40%.

Thursday Night: Partly clear, light winds, and still cold. Low: between -7 and -2. Winds: NW 5 MPH. Spotty wind chill: in the minus teens. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Friday 1/2/2026: Mixed clouds and sun and still cold. High: between 8 and 14. Winds: NW 5-10 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Friday Night: Cloudy with perhaps some flurries or fog, light winds, and not as cold. Temperatures between 0 and +5 early, rising to between 8 and 14. Winds: light. Chance of measurable snowfall: 20%.

Saturday 1/3/2026: Mostly cloudy with perhaps a flurry, light winds, and not quite as cold. High: between 15 and 20. Winds: NW 5 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Confidence Level: "Extra Bugs Will Come From Every Home on the Block to Hover Around My Head"

Saturday Night: Partly clear, light winds, and colder. Low: between -5 and 0. Winds: N 5 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Confidence Level: "Enough Bugs Will Fly into My Mouth to Throw Off My Diet

Sunday 1/4/2026: Cloudy with a better chance for light snow or flurries, and milder. Between a dusting and 2 inches of new snow are possible Sunday into Sunday night. High: between 15 and 20. Winds: SE 5-10 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 30%.

Sunday Night: Flurries ending during the evening, then cloudy with some areas of dense fog possible. Temperatures in the teens early, then rising to near 20 by early morning. Winds: NE 5 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 20%.

Monday 1/5/2026: Some early fog, then mostly cloudy, but back to seasonably cold. High: between 25 and 30. Winds: SE 5-10 MPH. Chance of measurable snowfall: 10%.

Extended: Milder first half of next week???

Forecast Confidence (10 - "The Rabbits Will Thump Even Though I Fed Them"; 0 - "The Rabbits Will Offer To Groom My Bald Spot"): 7 Thursday, 8 Thursday night and Friday, 6 Friday night and Saturday, 4 Saturday night, 2 Sunday through Monday.

Yesterday's High: 34°F (set at midnight); Yesterday's Daytime High: 33°F (set at 6 AM); Overnight Low (through 2 AM Thursday): 0°F
St. Cloud Airport 24-Hour Melted Precipitation (through 2 AM Thursday): 0.01 inch; SCSU 24-Hour Precipitation (through 2 AM Thursday): TBA

Next Update: Friday, January 2, 2026 6 AM

Let me know what you think about this forecast and discussion by emailing SCSU meteorology professor Bob Weisman. Please note that I make the forecast, not the weather!

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