Last 2010 Blast: Snow, Freezing Rain And Rain
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Mother Nature is looking at throwing Minnesota another weather punch to end 2010.
WCCO-TV meteorologist Ron Trenda said big storm is forming in the western United States and is taking aim at Minnesota for Thursday and Friday.
Right now, the track of the storm brings freezing rain, rain and snow to the Twin Cities. Trenda said it's a little early to know the exact track of the storm, because it is still forming.
However, if current models hold, residents of the Twin Cities metro area could see freezing rain start to fall as early as late Wednesday evening -- and people in southern Minnesota could see that earlier in the day.
Trenda said the freezing rain will likely change over to all rain in the metro during the day on Thursday, before changing to snow on Friday.
In western Minnesota, the precipitation will start as a mix, but will change over to snow earlier than in the Twin Cities, Trenda said. Several inches of snow are likely there.
Northwestern Minnesota
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for far northwestern Minnesota for Wednesday night through Thursday night. Heavy snow and some freezing rain is expected in that area. A second storm is expected to hit that area on Friday and could bring near blizzard conditions to the area, including wind chills near 35 below.
Tuesday And Wednesday
Today, the sun will be out and it will be warm, relatively speaking, with highs near 30 in the metro. Wednesday will start sunny before the freezing rain moves in late Wednesday evening.
Peeking Ahead
Got New Year's Day plans? Right now, Saturday looks dry, but cold, with highs in the low teens.
Why So Hard To Know Right Now?
Right now, the storm that is going to bring the bulk of the precipitation to Minnesota hasn't reached the West Coast yet, so there's not as much information about the system yet, Trenda explained.
As the storm gets closer, the track will be easier to predict -- which is going to be critical with a storm like this where the line between freezing rain and snow will be so definitive. If the storm track moves 50 miles one way or the other -- the Twin Cities could potentially see all snow -- or just rain.
Stay with WCCO.COM as we continue to track the storm.
And A Little Weather Trivia
In a typical winter, the Twin Cities sees snowfalls greater than six inches twice a year. This year so far, we have had three such snowfalls.
WCCO-TV's Ron Trenda Reports
