Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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A low-pressure system tracking northeastward Friday evening will draw colder air into Minnesota and western Wisconsin, changing early-evening rain to snow. The snow will be heavy in many locations overnight Friday night into very early on Saturday. 

Winds will be strong, with gusts to 40 to 50 mph at times, severely reducing visibilities.

In much of the Twin Cities metro area, the transition from rain to mostly snow is expected to happen by around 9 p.m. Friday. Parts of the west metro may see an earlier changeover to mainly snow.

The exact timing of the changeover from rain or rain-snow mix to all snow and the duration of the heaviest snow will determine which areas receive the highest snow totals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday:

NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows a similar precipitation pattern Friday evening into early Saturday:

Much of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin had rain and embedded thunderstorms Friday afternoon and early Friday evening, 

South of Minnesota, a strong low-pressure system was over northeastern Iowa late Friday afternoon, tracking slowly northeastward.

In the moist, unstable air to the east of the low, there were several tornadoes spotted in eastern Iowa and parts of western Illinois Friday afternoon and early Friday evening. The tornado potential continues in those areas into Friday evening. 

A tornado watch continues until 10 p.m. this Friday in far southern Wisconsin and parts of northern Illinois:

Here are National Weather Service forecast snow amounts from Friday evening into early Saturday morning:

A storm total of 7.8 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport would bring the snow season total to 89 inches, making this the third snowiest snow season in Twin Cities weather records:

One forecast model shows double-digit snow totals by Saturday morning in the southeast part of the Twin Cities metro area and in parts of west-central Wisconsin.

A blizzard warning covers much of central and southern Minnesota and parts of western Wisconsin Friday evening through the overnight hours of Friday night and into early Saturday:

The blizzard warning begins at 9 p.m. Friday evening in the Twin Cities metro area and runs to 7 a.m. Saturday.

The blizzard warning began at 7 p.m. Friday and runs to 7 a.m. Saturday in much of central Minnesota plus west-central and southwestern Minnesota. The blizzard warning begins at 11 p.m. Friday and runs to 7 a.m. Saturday from Mankato to Red Wing to Eau Claire, Wis.

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR News 

. Wisconsin road conditions can be found 

The average Twin Cities high temperature is 50 degrees on April 1. Metro area highs will be in the upper 30s this Saturday.

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have highs in the 30s on Saturday, with some 20s in far western Minnesota:

Sunday highs range from 30s in northwestern Minnesota to 50s in the far southeast:

Most of the Twin Cities metro area will see Sunday highs in the 40s.

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

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

Rain and thunder early Friday evening shifts to heavy snow and strong winds for many areas later Friday evening and overnight. One model shows double-digit snow totals by Saturday morning in the southeast part of the Twin Cities metro area and in parts of west-central Wisconsin.

Blizzard warning Friday night into early Saturday; heavy snow, strong winds

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