How much snow will midweek storm bring to Minnesota?
MINNEAPOLIS — A potentially impactful snowstorm is heading for Minnesota midweek, with plowable snow in areas across the state.
The system will arrive from the northwest Wednesday night and spread east into Thursday morning, then linger through the day before tapering off. A possible NEXT Weather Alert is in place for Thursday.
"I think this is going to be the biggest snowfall that we've had so far this winter, and probably the most snow that we have had in one system since last winter, back in March," WCCO Meteorologist Joseph Dames said.
How much snow could your area get?
While snow totals could vary greatly with the storm still more than a day away, WCCO's NEXT Weather team has looked at the potential storm tracks and offered some estimates.
The Twin Cities could see anywhere from 1-4 inches from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening. Southern Minnesota could see no snow, or as much as 2 inches. Central Minnesota, north of Interstate 94, is likely to get between 1 and 6-plus inches, the highest projected total in the state as of Tuesday. Much of northern Minnesota may see anywhere from trace amounts to 4 inches, though far northern Minnesota will likely see less.
Traffic impacts
With the snow starting Wednesday night and continuing into Thursday, the morning commute could get tricky. Current projections show moderate travel impacts in the Twin Cities by 5 a.m. Thursday, lessening to minor impacts by 9 a.m.
By 5 p.m., when many people are heading from work, there could still be minor impacts in the metro.
WCCO will keep an eye on the roads and issue a NEXT Drive Alert if conditions prove challenging.
Tuesday snowfall
Before the midweek snowmaker, a dusting will arrive on Tuesday. That system will sweep into far southwestern Minnesota by midday and into the metro around the evening commute. Your drive home could be slow, but there won't be much accumulation in the Twin Cities. Southwestern Minnesota, however, is under a winter weather advisory through 9 p.m. and could see 2-3 inches on the ground.