Snow and blowing snow slow down our commutes
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Snow will be with us most of Thursday, tapering off in the evening. Blowing snow will reduce visibility.
Here's a summary:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern Thursday into the evening:
Projected snow amounts are highest to the east:
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The Twin Cities metro area is included in a winter weather advisory until midnight Thursday for 3 to 5 inches of snow plus blowing snow. We could also see a bit of freezing drizzle Thursday morning. From midnight through noon tomorrow we're included in a wind chill advisory:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
347 AM CST Thu Feb 7 2019
...HEAVY SNOW TODAY WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING IN
SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THURSDAY AFTERNOON...
...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...
.The Blizzard Warning has been expanded to include areas along
and south of a line from Morris, to Mankato, to Owatonna from noon
today through midnight tonight.
The Winter Storm Warning has been trimmed from the eastern Twin
Cities metro and now includes location along and east of a line
from Pepin, to Menomonie, to Rice Lake through midnight tonight.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the remainder of
central and southern Minnesota and is now in effect for counties
along the St. Croix river in Wisconsin through midnight tonight.
Storm total snowfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are expected across
the Blizzard Warning and Winter Weather Advisory areas, with
amounts of 6 to 8 inches possible in the winter storm warning in
west central Wisconsin. Winds are expected to increase late this
morning, with blizzard conditions developing across west central
into south central Minnesota by the afternoon and lasting through
the evening.
Dangerous wind chills will accompany this system as well and a
wind chill warning has been issued for tonight through Friday
morning for locations along and west of a line from Redwood Falls,
to Litchfield, to Little Falls. To the east of the warning, a
Wind Chill Advisory has been issued across the rest of central and
southern Minnesota and counties along the Minnesota border in
western Wisconsin for tonight through Friday morning. Wind chill
values will range from 35 below to 40 below zero in the warning
and 30 below to 35 below zero in the advisory.
MNZ043>045-050>052-059>062-066>069-076-077-071800-
/O.NEW.KMPX.WC.Y.0007.190208T0600Z-190208T1800Z/
/O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0011.000000T0000Z-190208T0600Z/
Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Wright-
Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Le Sueur-Rice-
Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, Mora, Foley,
Elk River, Cambridge, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul,
Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chaska, Shakopee, Le Sueur, and Faribault
347 AM CST Thu Feb 7 2019
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST
TONIGHT...
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON
CST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Snow and blowing snow with very cold wind chills
expected. Snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Winds gusting as
high as 35 mph. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero expected.
* WHERE...Portions of central, east central and south central
Minnesota.
* WHEN...For the Winter Weather Advisory, until midnight CST
tonight. For the Wind Chill Advisory, from midnight tonight to
noon CST Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy
blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The
hazardous conditions will impact the evening commute. The
dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed
skin in as little as 10 minutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or
freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery
roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will
combine to create low wind chills. Frostbite and hypothermia can
occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves.
The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be found at
511mn.org and for Wisconsin at 511wi.gov, or by calling 5 1 1 in
either state.
Updraft will be updated around mid-morning.
As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.
You can check snow accumulations as they are posted by the NWS. Hover over a location on the NWS snow map to see the snow total and the time of observation.
Updated road conditions will be posted by the Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments.