Today’s top weather news: Upper Midwest braces for heaviest snowfall of season so far

Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Start your day with everything you need to know about today’s weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.

Minneapolis, parts of Upper Midwest in store for heaviest snowfall of season so far

A developing storm system is expected to bring the heaviest snowfall of the season for places such as Minnesota and Wisconsin on Thursday, leading to some treacherous travel to end the workweek.

Forecast models show a widespread band of 3-6 inches of snow north of Interstate 94, stretching from the Dakotas through Wisconsin. Some accumulation gauges could potentially reach 8-9 inches by the time the wintry weather moves out of the region late Thursday evening.

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Christmas travel forecast: Rain, snow likely leading to delays for millions across US

Millions of people across the U.S. are preparing to travel ahead of the busy Christmas holiday, but there could be some delays on the roads and at major airports that could affect when you will finally be able to gather with friends and family.

The FOX Forecast Center isn’t expecting blockbuster storms to halt Christmas travel, but with rounds of rain and winter weather moving across the U.S., it could be a bit slow-going over the next few days, especially in the eastern U.S.

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Coldest air of season so far to invade northern US just days before Christmas

A potent winter storm, packing bone-chilling cold, is sweeping across the northern U.S. this week, bringing some of the season’s most frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast.

The FOX Forecast Center said temperatures would drop sharply on Saturday and Sunday, with highs expected to be nearly 20 degrees below average into early next week. 

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Watch: ‘Snownado’ races past man, dog in Utah

A spectacle was captured in Utah as a man and his dog experienced a rare “snownado.”

A man was able to capture the whirlwinds Sunday during a walk with his three dogs in the midst of a winter storm. The whirlwinds were so quick that not even the dog noticed the fascinating phenomenon.

A snow devil, or snownado, is a rare event in which a swirling column of snow is uplifted into the air by the wind over a snow-covered surface.

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