Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

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All weather eyes are pointed southwest today as the "main body" of our latest "Wintril" storm moves in.

 and tonight. It's mostly snow in western Minnesota, and a mixed bag of sleet...changing to all snow from west to east today in the metro.

Snow is spreading from west to east across the metro this afternoon. "Sleet Storm" conditions will produce accumulations of sleet in some areas today.

Sleet has changed to snow as of 11:15am at the weather lab in the west metro.

Fresh sleet and snow accumulations on the "Weather Deck" in the west metro at 11:30am.

Solutions still center around a range of 3" to 6" of heavy wet wind whipped snow tonight for the metro, with heavier totals favoring the NW metro.

The heaviest snow band appears lined up just west of the Twin Cities. Look for the potential for 6" to 10" along a Redwood Falls-Hutch-Annandale-St. Cloud-Mille Lacs-Duluth line.

Here is the latest NWS wording for areas northwest of the metro.

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LITTLE FALLS...PRINCETON...MORA...

GLENWOOD...ST. CLOUD...FOLEY...ELK RIVER...CAMBRIDGE...

CENTER CITY...MADISON...BENSON...MONTEVIDEO...WILLMAR...

LITCHFIELD...MONTICELLO...MINNEAPOLIS...BLAINE...GRANITE FALLS...

OLIVIA...HUTCHINSON...GAYLORD...CHASKA...REDWOOD FALLS...

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT FRIDAY.

* TIMING: A MIXTURE OF RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW WILL TRANSITION TO

ALL SNOW TODAY...WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW THIS AFTERNOON INTO

* OTHER IMPACTS: STRONG NORTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY AND

TONIGHT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH

ARE EXPECTED. THIS WILL LEAD TO SOME BLOWING SNOW IN OPEN AREAS BY T0NIGHT.

Only in Minnesota: Statewide Tornado Drill today... in a snow storm

Did I mention this is severe Weather Awareness Week in MInnesota?

I didn't think so. Hard to focus with all the snow talk...but severe weather is coming this year. By all indications it's going to be a much more active season than last year...when 37 tornadoes skipped across Minnesota.

Here's the schedule for today's statewide tornado drill.

I covered the story this week about the new use of smart billboards in the metro to broadcast tornado warnings to metro drivers.

Here's more in an email I received from Maria Baca with Hennepin County Emergency Management.

Looking at the weather maps these days is like being an air traffic controller at MSP. Just guide the next storm in.

This tweet into the Weather Lab may best sum up our high level of  "seasonal denial."

teandoranges, I too feel your pain. I'm getting tired of hearing myself talk about our unbearable weather these days.

 includes the northwest half of the Twin Cities metro.

Look for a mixed bag Thursday in the metro...gradually changing to snow from west to east as the day progresses.

Right now I expect the best chance for 6" in the northwest metro and beyond....with lesser totals in the southeast metro by Friday morning.

The next in our series of April "winter" storms arrives Thursday.

The NAM model below depicts one of the facets of this system as it moves through in pulses...or waves as the center of low pressure works in.

The Gulf of Mexico is wide open over the Midwest for a change the past two months. That means copious rainfall totals on the warm side of this system. Drought is definitely dwindling east of the Mississippi.

Outbreak: Moderate severe risk into Illinois

Your friends in St. Louis or Chicago will need to keep a wary eye on the sky in the next 24-36 hours. SPC highlights the risk, which may include some dreaded "long-tracked" tornadoes.

The system will gradually cool Thursday as the heavier precip moves on.

That means the rain snow line will move slowly east Thursday.

I expect mostly snow Thursday west of the metro along a Worthington- Redwood Falls-Willmar-St. Cloud-Duluth line.

A mixed bag of sleet and rain in the metro will trend toward all snow by Thursday evening. We could see some sleet accumulations Thursday. A million tiny "ball bearings" underfoot? Watch it driving and waking around.

Main snow event Thursday night into Friday morning:

For the metro, it looks like the main event for heavy, wet, wind whipped snow will be Thursday night and Friday morning.

Right now my best estimate is for a general 2" to 6" across the metro from SE to NW. The best chance for 6" appears to be in the northwest metro including Maple Grove, Buffalo, Rogers, Elk River and toward Annandale.

We're still in forecast mode with this system...so changes are likely depending on tonight's...and even Thursday AM model runs.

Here's an interesting (and somewhat disturbing) tidbit. If St, Cloud picks up another 8" with this system (not out of the question) it will be one of the top 5 snowiest winters on record.

Folks in Duluth must be wondering if it will ever... ever stop?

Ramblings of a weather mad newsman & radio host:

You know my good friend Tom Crann as the host of All Things Considered on MPR each weekday between 3pm & 6:30pm. Simply put, Tom is the best. But did you know Tom likes to "doodle" to prepare for our weather hits each day?

Whatever gets you through our extended winter Tom.

Things are still looking better for some long overdue 50s in the metro by late next week.

Rain-sleet-snow picks up today & tonight; 3″ to 6″ Metro range likely by AM

Go Deeper.

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