Winter storm warnings in northern Minnesota

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It’s a bright sunny Tuesday, but this year it seems like Minnesota’s next storm is never far away.

A low-pressure wave blows into Minnesota Wednesday and Thursday. The first salvo arrives overnight into early Wednesday morning as a band of showers with possible embedded thunder develops in South Dakota and rolls into Minnesota. 

The rain wave will move from southwestern Minnesota around midnight and should arrive in the Twin Cities and eastern Minnesota between about 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. Wednesday. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model below shows waves of rain with some snow developing to the north between 1 a.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday. 

There’s even a marginal risk for a severe storm across southern Minnesota Wednesday. General (non-severe) thunderstorms could occur across most of Minnesota. 

The bulk of the snowfall with this next system will fall across northern Minnesota Thursday into Friday. As the center of the deepening low tracks through Wisconsin, colder air will change rain to snow up north.

NOAA’s Global Forecast System model paints snow across northern Minnesota Thursday into Friday. The loop below runs between 1 p.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday. 

It’s still too early to be fully confident about snowfall totals up north through Friday, but models like the Canadian suggest another plowable event. 

Here’s the Canadian model snowfall output through 1 p.m. Friday:

At least it appears the snow will stay pretty far north of the Twin Cities this time.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

A band of showers with possible embedded thunder develops in South Dakota and rolls into Minnesota overnight into Wednesday. Snow comes Thursday to northern Minnesota, with potentially plowable accumulations through Friday.

More rain and thunder ahead; more snow up north

Go Deeper.

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