Blizzard conditions shaking west-central, NW Minnesota

Updated 12:45 p.m.

Winds are gusting over 50 mph Friday in parts of northwestern and west-central Minnesota, closing roads and causing severely reduced visibilities in blowing and drifting snow.

A blizzard warning extends from northwestern and west-central Minnesota to Stearns County in central Minnesota until 6 p.m. Friday:

Here are details of the blizzard warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 1050 AM CST Fri Feb 18 2022 MNZ001>005-007-008-013>015-022-027-029-030-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-190000- /O.CON.KFGF.BZ.W.0007.000000T0000Z-220219T0000Z/ West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-West Marshall-East Marshall- Pennington-Red Lake-East Polk-Mahnomen-West Becker-Wilkin- West Otter Tail-Towner-Cavalier-Pembina-Benson-Ramsey- Eastern Walsh-Eddy-Nelson-Grand Forks-Griggs-Steele-Traill-Barnes- Cass-Ransom-Sargent-Richland-Western Walsh- Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada, Twin Valley, Halstad, Moorhead, Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster, Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Newfolden, Middle River, Grygla, Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, Fosston, Fertile, McIntosh, Erskine, Mahnomen, Naytahwaush, Waubun, Detroit Lakes, Breckenridge, Fergus Falls, Cando, Langdon, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas, Fort Totten, Maddock, Leeds, Minnewaukan, Devils Lake, Grafton, Park River, New Rockford, Lakota, Mcville, Aneta, Tolna, Grand Forks, Cooperstown, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro, Hatton, Portland, Valley City, Fargo, Lisbon, Enderlin, Gwinner, Milnor, Forman, Rutland, Wahpeton, Edinburg, Adams, and Lankin 1050 AM CST Fri Feb 18 2022 ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 65 mph. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Minnesota and northeast and southeast North Dakota. * WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility. Strong winds could cause tree damage. The cold wind chills as low as 30 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for North Dakota can be found at dot.nd.gov/travel and for Minnesota at 511mn.org, or by calling 5 1 1 in either state.

A winter weather advisory covers the remainder of northern Minnesota Friday afternoon and early evening for snow and blowing snow. Here are forecast snow amounts in northeastern Minnesota:

The Twin Cities metro area, plus portions of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin are in a winter weather advisory and a wind advisory Friday afternoon and early evening:

Here are details of the advisory:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1046 AM CST Fri Feb 18 2022 MNZ043>045-049>053-057>063-066>070-075>078-083-WIZ014>016-023>028- 190100- /O.EXA.KMPX.WW.Y.0011.000000T0000Z-220219T0300Z/ Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stearns-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti- Chisago-Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington- McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue- Blue Earth-Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa- Eau Claire- Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, Mora, St Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Willmar, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, Mankato, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 1046 AM CST Fri Feb 18 2022 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Snow showers expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph. Considerable reduced visibilities in the snow showers where brief whiteout conditions are possible. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and central, east central, south central and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions as dropping temperatures with falling snow could result in flash freezing on roads. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches. 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. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Snow squalls could drop visibilities drastically at times Friday afternoon.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog. Minnesota road conditions can be found here. 

Weekend forecast

Twin Cities metro area highs are expected to reach around 20 degrees Saturday. Our average Feb. 19 high temp in the Twin Cities is 30 degrees.

Saturday highs will range from lower 30s in southwestern Minnesota to teens in the northeast:

Saturday wind gusts will be over 25 mph in western Minnesota, with lighter winds to the east:

Forecast gusts are in knots, with 13 knots equal to 15 mph.

Sunday will be the warmest day of the weekend in most areas, with highs reaching the 30s in central Minnesota and lower 40s in the far south:

Parts of the Twin Cities metro area could touch 40 degrees Sunday afternoon.

Sunday wind gusts will be over 20 mph in much of western Minnesota, with gusts in the teens to the east.

Snow chances Saturday afternoon into early Sunday in northern Minn.

Far northern Minnesota has a chance of occasional snow showers Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from noon Saturday to noon on Sunday:

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.