Hope you enjoyed Minnesota's "false spring number one" because winter is making a comeback.
Dangerous travel conditions are developing in northern Minnesota Wednesday where up to two feet of snow is falling with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour contributing to dangerous conditions.
Closer to home, snow is moving in but it will be much lighter, with a lot of it melting on contact due to warmer ground temperatures in the metro area.
WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says when you head north, wet and very heavy snow will be damaging.
"When that stuff clings to those branches, it tends to put so much stress and weight on them that there's gonna be a lot of tree damage up there, I'm afraid," Shaffer said on the WCCO Morning News. "And that leads to power outages, if the branches are above power lines. So yeah, it's going to be a mess."
Carlton and St. Louis Counties are under a blizzard warning through noon Thursdayw, with no travel advised especially along Highway 61 on the North Shore.
Shaffer says there are spots were up to two feet of snow could fall by the time the winter storm system passes through.
"That sharp rise, if you've been on the North Shore, you get to those higher elevations and that's all it takes," he says. "It's oftentimes what happens in mountainous regions as well. Get a little higher up, you get a more chance of that snow and I think we will see some of those totals up there."
Closer to the Twin Cities, Shaffer says Wednesday will have some wet snow but don't expect major road issues or accumulations with our warmer temps. Highs will remain in the 30s on Wednesday so expect it to be more of just a sloppy, wet system.
Rain has already begun to transition to snow across a significant portion of southern Minnesota, including along and south of the Minnesota River and into the western outskirts of the Twin Cities metro. As temperatures continue to fall, expect rain to transition to snow, with a heavier narrow band of higher accumulations expected to move across the region this afternoon into the evening.
Alongside the wet snow, strong winds are expected with gusts as high as 45-50mph, and although the wet snow should not blow around once it is on the ground, it will result in reduced visibility as it falls. Slick travel is expected due to slushy snow and gusty winds.
There's also another system coming through late Thursday into Friday, but Shaffer says it is trending southeast of the Twin Cities with most of the snow falling in western Wisconsin.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM WEDNESDAY
* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 2 and 4 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE...McLeod, Sibley, Wright, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington, Le Sueur, Nicollet, and Rice Counties.
* WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening.
* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON THURSDAY
* WHAT...Blizzard conditions. Additional snow accumulations between 4 and 7 inches except between 5 and 12 inches for the higher terrain of the North Shore and ice accumulations around a light glaze. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph.
* WHERE...Carlton and South St. Louis Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Fond du Lac Band.
* WHEN...Until noon CST Thursday.
* IMPACTS...The strong winds and weight of snow on tree limbs may down power lines and could cause sporadic power outages. Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening.
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT
* WHAT...Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations between 4 and 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph.
* WHERE...Koochiching, North Itasca, and North St. Louis Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Bois Forte Band, Nett Lake and, Deer Creek areas. Other locations including Voyageurs National Park. This also includes the Boundary Waters western area.
* WHEN...Until midnight CST Wednesday Night.
* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
FORECAST
WEDNESDAY: Windy with light snow (1-3” possible). High: 30s. SW 10-20 mph.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Scattered flurries. Low: 30. W wind 5-10 mph.
THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snow, mainly east later. High: 35. N wind 8-12 mph.
Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories across Northern MN through Thursday.
Average high and low….30/14