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

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April snow. I know. Snow isn’t what we want to see after several nice spring days. Here’s the latest info on the snowstorm.

Snow has spread across much of the southern half of Minnesota as of 6 a.m., with pockets of rain from the southeastern part of the Twin Cities metro area into southeastern Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin. Areas that have rain or a rain/snow mix early this morning will see a  transition to all snow. Parts of southeastern Minnesota may hear a clap of thunder at times.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Sunday morning through Monday morning:

The heaviest snow will tend to fall from southern Minnesota into Wisconsin, but the southern and eastern parts of the Twin Cities metro may see 6 to 8 inches of snow before it ends. 

Let’s take a closer look at forecast snow amounts:

6 inches or more of snow will be possible in the south metro and east metro, with a shot at 8+ inches in southern Dakota County. The downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul may be closer to 4 or 5 inches. The northwestern edge of the 7-county metro area may see 3 inches or less. As the NWS graphic notes, there will be a sharp cutoff to the snow on the northwestern side of the storm, and that may shift as the storm develops.

Notice the 8+ inch amounts in parts of southern Minnesota and on toward Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some double-digit snow totals in that swath of heaviest snow.

Northwestern Wisconsin will also see some heavy snow:

Winter storm warnings (pink) are in effect Sunday into early Monday for much of southern Minnesota plus south and east portions of the metro area and portions of western Wisconsin:

Metro area counties included in the winter storm warning Sunday and Sunday night are Scott, Dakota and Washington counties. The remainder of the Twin Cities metro area is included in the winter weather advisory (blue) for lower snow amounts.

Here are details of the winter storm warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 326 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020 ...Heavy Snow Expected Today and Tonight... .A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for areas along and south of a line from Springfield through New Ulm to Cottage Grove in Minnesota, continuing to New Richmond and Rice Lake in Wisconsin. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for a small swath of counties just to the north of that line, including the Twin Cities metro area. Heavy snow is expected to fall across parts of the area Today and Tonight. Snowfall rates of one inch per hour or higher are possible, especially this afternoon and early evening, which will allow the snow to quickly accumulate. The chance for snowfall amounts of 6 inches or more appears highest from southern and east central Minnesota into west central Wisconsin. Local amounts of around 10 inches are possible in the warning area. In addition, this will likely be a heavy, wet snow, so some tree damage and power outages could occur due to the combination of gusty winds and the heavy wet snow. MNZ063-069-070-076>078-082>085-091>093-121630- /O.EXT.KMPX.WS.W.0004.200412T1200Z-200413T0900Z/ Washington-Scott-Dakota-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth- Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn- Including the cities of Stillwater, Shakopee, Hastings, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, St James, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, Fairmont, Blue Earth, and Albert Lea 326 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020 ...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 8 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Portions of east central, south central and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...From 7 AM this morning to 4 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Due to the heavy, wet nature of the snow, tree damage and power outages could occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Here are details of the winter weather advisory that includes Minneapolis and St. Paul plus the north metro:

Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver- Redwood- Including the cities of Center City, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Olivia, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, and Redwood Falls 326 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and southwest Minnesota. * WHEN...From 7 AM this morning to 4 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. Due to the heavy, wet nature of the snow, tree damage and power outages could occur. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

A change in the storm track or the speed of this storm will affect snow totals. You can hear updated weather information on the MPR 

, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News 

This Updraft blog will be updated by around 930 a.m. to included updated snow info and a look at the week ahead.

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Our April snowstorm is here, and it’ll linger into tonight. We have on update on how much snow you can expect.

Snow, strong winds and slippery roads Sunday and Sunday night

Go Deeper.

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