Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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The weather maps are gathering around a forecast of rain to wind-driven snow for parts of Minnesota on Halloween. Forecast models seem to be gelling around a relatively narrow band of heavy snow setting up from central into northeastern Minnesota Thursday morning through midday.

 is posted for much of northeastern Minnesota, including the 

. I expect they will upgrade to a winter storm warning later this afternoon based on the midday forecast models runs. 

Our inbound weather system will generate scattered thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon across southeastern Minnesota. 

Rain and thunder will spread northward toward the Twin Cities after midnight. Then, as cold air filters into the system, rain will change to snow Thursday morning. A band of heavy snow will likely set up west and north of the Twin Cities.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model shows the trend. The forecast model loop below runs between 1 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Thursday.

Several forecast models put the Twin Cities on the southern edge of the snow zone. Thursday's most favored area for sloppy snowfall accumulations runs from just west and north of the Twin Cities through Duluth. 

Here’s the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts model snowfall output:

Here’s NOAA’s Global Forecast System model snowfall output:

This will be wind-driven snow with accumulation rates of an inch per hour possible in the heavy snow zone on Thursday. Wind gusts could reach 30 mph.

Temperatures Thursday will hover in the low 40s, with 30s northeast.

, but it will bring significant wintry weather conditions to much of central and northeastern Minnesota on Thursday. 

Most of the precipitation should ease out of Minnesota by trick-or-treat time Thursday evening.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

A Halloween storm will deliver rain and snow to Minnesota with significant wintry weather conditions in much of central and northeastern Minnesota. Most of the precipitation should ease out of the state by trick-or-treat time Thursday evening.

Halloween snow: Several inches likely Thursday north, west of the Twin Cities

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