Minnesota Weather: The Snow Storm Is Gone, Now Temperatures Drop
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UPDATE (Saturday Morning): For snow totals and Saturday's weather forecast, click here.
SNOW EMERGENCIES: As of 10 p.m., Wayzata, Willmar, Faribault, Mankato, Northfield and Robbinsdale have declared snow emergencies. Eden Prairie declared a snow event. See the latest snow emergency information here.
UPDATE (10 p.m.): After a winter storm dumped several inches of snow across southern Minnesota Friday, leading to more than 700 crashes on state roads, the system has moved south into Iowa.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says the system dropped 9 inches of snow in Marshall and Granite Falls in southwestern Minnesota. In south-central Minnesota, 8 and-a-half inches piled up near Mankato. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in the Twin Cities, 3.5 inches of snow accumulated, and in the northeast metro, 2 inches stacked up in Shoreview.
Trailing the storm system is a mass of cold Canadian air. Temperatures will be around zero in Minneapolis come Saturday morning, and they'll be subzero across most of Greater Minnesota. While Saturday will be sunny, temperatures will only climb into the low teens. Minnesotans might want to have their sunglasses handy, as the fresh snow will reflect the strong, unfiltered sunlight.
The weekend cold snap will only last about a day. Temperatures will rebound near 30 on Sunday, when there'll be chance for more snow, although accumulations are expected to be light.
UPDATE (5 p.m.): WCCO Weather Watchers in the the Twin Cities metro are reporting between 2 and 5 inches of snow. In the southwest metro, around Chanhassen, nearly 5 inches of snow has fallen. Meanwhile in Edina, about 2.5 inches of snow has accumulated, according to the reports.
The storm system is continuing its slow march south, and as it does, the intensity of the snow is decreasing. In the north metro, the snow has all but cleared, but across southern Minnesota, heavy bands of snow are still moving.
Totals in southwestern Minnesota are (as expected) greater than those in the metro. In Redwood Falls, official reports show the snow approaching 6 inches. In Granite Falls, 9 inches has accumulated. A few more inches of snow is expected to stack up in southern Minnesota through the evening.
Those planning to drive Friday night in southern Minnesota are advised to take it easy and drive slow. In some areas, near the Iowa border, for instance, visibility will be about a half-mile.
Already, the Minnesota State Patrol has reported nearly 600 crashes and spinouts Friday on Minnesota roads.
UPDATE (3 p.m.): Roads are slushy and snow-covered around the metro, and they'll likely stay that way through evening commute.
A band of moderate snowfall is moving south of Bloomington and heading into Lakeville, moving around 2o mph. It'll continue to push further south near Northfield and Belle Plaine for the next hour or two.
The widespread steady snow in southwestern Minnesota is getting weaker. Visibility is also improving.
UPDATE (2 p.m.): Snow in the metro area is a little lighter than it was at noon, but the wind is still blowing the flakes around. A narrow band of moderate snowfall has passed through the metro core and is heading on south
Further to the south and southwest, more bands of steadier and heavier snow is falling, bringing roughly half an inch of snowfall per hour. In Canby, a WCCO Weather Watcher reported 6.5 inches of snow.
Through 6 p.m., meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says there will be a gradual decrease in snowfall in the north and northeastern metro. By 9 p.m., the snowfall will start wrapping up.
Through the evening, another 1.9 inches of snow is expected in the Twin Cities, and Mankato could see nearly 4 more inches.
UPDATE (Noon): Until 4 p.m. Friday, parts of southwestern Minnesota will be seeing an inch of snow an hour, with limited visibility leading to dangerous road conditions.
WCCO Weather Watchers are reporting 5 inches of snow in Westbrook, up to 6.5 inches of snow in Canby.
Some areas to the southwest could see more than 10 inches of snow. Several inches of snowfall is expected in the Twin Cities.
UPDATE (11 a.m.): An inch every hour is accumulating in the southwest late Friday morning, and areas could see more than 10 inches of snow.
The WCCO Weather Team is reporting that areas like Worthington and Marshall could see 6 inches in addition to the 4 inches already on the ground.
Road conditions aren't great. The Minnesota State Patrol reported that, between 5 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., troopers responded to 159 crashes and 66 vehicles that ran off the road. No fatalities have been reported.
Snow is expected into the evening commute.
Meanwhile, temperatures aren't expected to breach 20 degrees in the Twin Cities.
The Saturday morning commute is looking messy, too, with blowing snow, icy conditions and limited visibility. Temps will be slightly colder than Friday. Clouds will part in the morning and the sun should melt some snow.
Another chance of snow showers Sunday, with warmer temps expected to be closer to 30 degrees.
UPDATE (9 a.m.): Snowfall totals are coming in from WCCO Weather Watchers Friday morning. Some areas of southwest Minnesota are already seeing 4 to 5 inches of snow.
Four inches has been reported in Westbrook and 4.5 inches in Canby. One inch is being reported in Farmington, just south of the Twin Cities.
Those who are traveling are advised to slow down and drive for the conditions.
The city of Eden Prairie declared a snow event, which means that a snow emergency is in effect when snow accumulation reaches 2 inches. More Snow Emergency information here.
Winter weather alerts continue into the evening.
UPDATE (8 a.m.): Snow is here and will be sticking around for your morning and evening commute.
While 2 to 4 inches of snow looks most likely for the Twin Cities, this could fluctuate depending if the storm tracks a tad east or west. The WCCO Weather Team is still going with 6 to 10 inches of accumulation expected just to the south and west of the Twin Cities metro, and perhaps even including the far south and west metro.
As of 8 a.m., the heaviest snowfall is along Interstate 94 and to the southwest. Windy conditions are lessening visibility, with some spinouts seen on traffic cams. Minnesota transportation officials say roads across south-central and southwest Minnesota are covered in snow, so are cautioning motorists to slow down.
Winter storm warnings are in the southwest region. Areas along Interstate 94, the metro and southeast are in a winter weather advisory.
Snow will taper off Friday leading to a cold night with subzero temps. Cold sunshine returns Saturday with highs staying in the teens.
Previous story from Thursday evening below.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A storm system swirling out over Canada is on track to hit Minnesota on Friday, leaving southwestern Minnesota with up to a foot of snow while those east of the Twin Cities could see little more than a dusting.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for counties in southwestern Minnesota, south-central Minnesota and along the border with the Dakotas. Winter weather advisories have been issued for counties in central Minnesota, roughly half the Twin Cities metro and southeastern Minnesota.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says that while forecasters are still gathering information on this storm system, a few things seem certain. For starters, the storm looks to hit Minnesota early Friday morning, dropping snow throughout the day across the southern half of the state. The storm is expect to push into Iowa by Friday night.
The storm, which will be tracking southeast, will likely bring little snow to western Wisconsin and communities along the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. However, there's still uncertainty over how much snow could fall in the Twin Cities metro.https://twitter.com/wccoshayla/status/1481954531030220805
Computer models currently show the heavy snowfall cut-off line slicing through the heart of the Twin Cities. While Shaffer says that communities in the metro could generally see around 2 to 5 inches of snow, there's a chance that a significant part of the east and north metro could only get trace accumulations. Then again, if the storm track shifts 50 miles or so east, cities like Minneapolis could end up under 6 inches of fresh snow.
Just southwest of the Twin Cities, snow totals around 6 inches are expected. In southwestern Minnesota, where the storm is expected to hit hardest, it's possible that many communities along the Buffalo Ridge could see totals around a foot of snow. Already, a number of schools and districts in central and southwestern Minnesota have canceled Friday classes or are switching to distance learning.
The storm will hit Minnesota in conjunction with a mass of cold air from Canada, all but ensuring that whatever falls Friday remains snow, not a wintry mix. Winds will be light, but widespread blowing snow couldn't be an issue. Still, those with travel plans Friday will want to drive cautiously, as roads could be slick.
Following the snow storm, Saturday looks to be sunny and cold, with temperatures only climbing into the teens. More snow showers are in store for Sunday, although accumulations then will probably be less than an inch.
