Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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Talk about a weather smorgasbord. We could literally have a severe thunderstorm and winter storm watch and blizzard warning across different parts of Minnesota late Friday.

Our powerful inbound storm will produce springtime and wintry weather across Minnesota Friday evening through Saturday. 

Record warmth looks likely with highs in the 70s across southern Minnesota Friday.

An arcing line of thunderstorms will spin northward out of Iowa by around 6 p.m to 7 p.m. Friday evening.

The most favored window for a little thunder, lighting and a few welcome downpours in the Twin Cities lies between about 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday. 

The forecast model loop below runs between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday. Watch the snow break out in western Minnesota and the eastern Dakotas. 

The most likely zone for severe weather is across southern Minnesota. Storms will likely weaken as the run into more stable air and darkness across the Twin Cities. A marginal risk runs well north of the Twin Cites toward Duluth. 

The cold and snow on the system’s backside by Saturday has prompted National Weather Service offices in the region to hoist winter storm watches for all of western Minnesota from the Red River Valley to the Iowa border. 

Near-blizzard conditions are likely late Friday night through Saturday morning.

winter storm watch for northwestern Minnesota

Here’s more detail for west-central Minnesota: 

Little snow is expected in eastern Minnesota. Much colder temperature in the 20s and 30s will persists this weekend. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

A powerful spring storm will bring a wild mix of weather to Minnesota Friday and Saturday.

Winter storm and a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Minnesota Friday?

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