The wind is Nothing Nice

Air Masses

(And here I thought Air was rather light)

Map of Air Masses affecting the United States.
Compliments of: http://www.met.tamu.edu/class/atmo202/Dir-surface/surface-stu.html

The air masses that directly affect Minneapolis are the Continental Polar (cP), Continental Artic (cA), and Maritime Polar (mP) in the winter, and the Continental Polar (cP), Maritime Tropic (mT) from the Gulf of Mexico and Maritime Polar (mP) in the summer season. The Continental Polar air mass has the greatest affect on Minneapolis as the air mass originates or is sourced near the location.

Mid-Latitude Cyclones and Frontal Systems

(Let's not front, it's cold)

Extremely large Mid-Latitude Cyclone formed over Minneapolis, MN on June 11th, 2011.
Image compliments of: http://blogs.mprnews.org/updraft/2011/06/this_is_summer_epic_minot_floo/

Minneapolis is no stranger to Mid-Latitude cyclones. Located on the northern end of Tornado Alley, Minneapolis is also located near the meandering boundary of the cP and mT air masses, providing the necessary conditions for a Mid-Latitude Cyclone to develop (http://www.atmos.illinois.edu/). Minneapolis is also known for suffering from Alberta Clippers in the winter, which are fast moving and normally don't carry much moisture with them because they are so far from a moisture source (http://www.atmos.illinois.edu/).

More Fronting

Given the proximity of Minneapolis to the Polar Jet Stream, there are fewer occasions, especially in the winter months, that Minneapolis would experience a warm front.
Image compliments of: Accuweather.com
  

Cold fronts and stationary fronts are common place in Minneapolis, especially in the winter. Currently there is a Mid-Latitude Cyclone forming to the North-West which will move eastward and bring a Warm front through the area bringing temperatures above freezing again. Although this cyclone did not form over Minneapolis, it is an Alberta Clipper and should not bring much moisture with it to the city. This current cyclone is a great example of the frontal systems that Minneapolis experiences, however, as this cyclone is the result of a cold front taking over a warm front in the region. 

This image shows the Mid-Latitude Cyclone forming to the North-West of Minneapolis and the North-East bound Warm Front moving towards the city.
Image compliments of: http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat=44.98550034&lon=-93.27189636&zoom=8&pin=&rad=1&wxsn=0&svr=0&cams=0&sat=0&riv=0&mm=0&hur=0

Unique Factors

Every city is unique, however, Minneapolis has several features that allow for unique and sometimes unfortunate weather. First and foremost, Minneapolis, along with most of  Minnesota, is flat. The city is within the northern portion of the American Great Planes, also known as Tornado Alley. As the name implies, Minneapolis is at a higher risk for tornadoes than other areas within the United States. Another unique factor in Minneapolis weather is that the city is near the Great Lakes region of the United States, creating Lake Effect Snow (weather.com). The Lake Effect Snow occurs when cold air, like air from the cP or cA air masses, passes over a mass of warm water, such as the water found in the Great Lakes. 

As the cold winds pick up moisture from the Great Lakes, intense amounts of snow can accumulate in the surrounding regions.
Image compliments of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lake-derived-snow.svg

Works Cited and Suggested Reading:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/cold-coming-back-to-minneapoli/25637634

http://www.met.tamu.edu/class/atmo202/Dir-surface/surface-stu.html

http://www.wunderground.com/maps/us/midwest/2xFronts.html

http://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~snodgrss/Midlatitude_cyclone.html

http://www.kean.edu/~csmart/Observing/09.%20Weather%20sytems.pdf

http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/winter/lake.html