Winter Weather — Washington, Minnesota

2026-01-05 to 2026-01-06 · Washington, Minnesota

Event narrative

CoCoRaHS observers reported a mix of freezing rain and rain, with some light icing on surfaces during the morning. Heavier rainfall amounts near or over a half inch and temperatures hovering around or just above freezing limited the total amount of icing that occurred.

Wider weather episode

A second wave of wintry precipitation occurred 24 hours after a light mix of snow and freezing rain fell the day prior. This round was heavier and temperatures were right around freezing, leading to a mixture of freezing rain and rain. For most locations, the main period of freezing occurred overnight from the 5th into the 6th as rainfall rates were lighter. Rates then increased during the morning of the 6th which made it difficult for ice accretion to continue as temperatures hovered right around the freezing point. By the morning commute, most areas saw more of a crunchy slush on the ground as the heavier rain started to melt the coating of ice that developed overnight. The heaviest impacted area was western Hennepin, Wright, Anoka, and Chisago counties where temperatures were slightly cooler and the rain rates were not as heavy.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1309105. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.