Minnesota is bracing for a couple rounds of snow over the next few days, beginning Thursday evening. In the words of WCCO Meteorologist Paul Douglas, "there's a lot to unpack here." Rejoice snow lovers. At least for a few days.
Douglas breaks down the Thursday snow which is sort of the appetizer for what is coming over the weekend.
WHAT TO KNOW
Thursday-Friday: 2-3 inches overnight with slick conditions Friday morning.
Sunday-Tuesday: Potential of 6+ inches in the metro with more to the west, possibly up to a foot. Possible change to rain Monday could keep totals down depending on storm track. Poor travel conditions most of Sunday but wet and sloppy in the metro Monday.
Thursday Night Snow Event
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from Thursday at 7:00 p.m. through Friday at 10:00 a.m. for the bulk of central Minnesota with snow beginning to fall well after sunset.
"I'm still thinking two inches, give or take, for most of the metro," says Douglas. "North metro, as you head up to Monticello, and Becker, and St. Cloud, St. Michael area, maybe a better chance of three or four inches right along I-94. There's going to be a fairly narrow stripe of heavier snow."
Most of the snow will fall later on Thursday night in the metro which means it'll be a morning issue for most people.
"I think we'll wake up to a couple of inches tomorrow morning," Douglas predicts. "It's going to be below freezing so yeah, rush hour tomorrow, maybe give yourself a little extra time."
Winds will stay pretty low so there shouldn't be much blowing. Expect temperatures to hover in the upper 20s and lower 30s Thursday through all of Friday which will make it a fairly wet, heavy snowfall.
It's not going to last long though. Most of Friday should help dry things out. Douglas says the sun should peek out Friday afternoon and even Saturday to melt some snow before.....
Weekend Snow Round Two
Douglas says Thursday night is just the start as the main event comes in. Another, much stronger system is expected to arrive Saturday night into Sunday.
That system has the potential to drop 6 inches in the metro, but Douglas warns there are still some factors that can change amounts.
"The track is really going to determine, as always, how much snow we get and will we in fact switch over to rain on Monday," Douglas says. "The models that I trust the most are still hanging in there with a changeover to rain on Monday. That would keep the totals down a little bit from the Twin Cities on south and east."
Douglas says the heaviest bands of snow by Tuesday night, when it winds down, will be west of the metro.
"As you head out towards Willmar, Granite Falls, Olivia, Windom, could easily pick up a foot or more of snow," Douglas says. "But with that rain mixing in, it will keep amounts down in the metro. I still think it's plowable. If I had to give a number, it's still early to throw numbers around, it's 4-8 inches by Monday morning before it switches over to rain. So it's going to be a big old pile of slush."
Douglas says as you get north and west of the Twin Cities, blowing snow will be a problem. He adds that Sunday will be a very poor travel day with heavy snow, high winds and some slick roads.
"By Monday, we should be above freezing. It will still be a slushy, gloppy mess, but I think by Monday the roads in better shape with temperatures above freezing. Hopefully the freeways are just wet, but who knows."
There's one more little burst of snow coming in Tuesday says Douglas, but that shouldn't be enough to cause issues. Douglas says there is around 2-3 inches of precipitation mixed into these storms and with much of Minnesota in a drought, it's welcome for sure.
Even if you're not ready for winter to make a comeback, it's still March in Minnesota.