Winter storm warning issued for central, northwestern Minnesota Wednesday evening into Thursday
MINNEAPOLIS — The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for multiple cities throughout northwest, west central and central Minnesota and southeast North Dakota.
Several Minnesota schools are reporting closings and delays Wednesday evening ahead of the storm.
Winter storm warning
Here are the areas that will be most impacted by the winter storm warning:
The winter storm warning for these cities will begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and run until 6 p.m. on Thursday: Ashby, Erdahl, Lisbon, Wahpeton, Valley City, Fargo, Enderlin, Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, Elbow Lake, Lawndale, Hoffman, Fergus Falls, Barrett, McLeod, Herman, Shoreham and Breckenridge.
The winter storm warning for these cities will begin at 12 a.m. on Thursday and run until 12 a.m. on Friday: St Cloud, Center City, Cambridge, Shakopee, Long Prairie, Minneapolis, Princeton, Alexandria, Chaska, Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Monticello, Chanhassen, Hastings, Stillwater, St Paul, Blaine, Mora, Little Falls, and Victoria.
The National Weather Services says these areas could get three to seven inches of snow, with wind gusts up to 40 mph.
Officials warn that roads will likely be slick, especially bridges and overpasses. White out conditions are expected, says the National Weather Service.
Motorists are advised to delay all travel if possible. Conditions will likely impact Thursday morning and evening commutes.
Upcoming forecast details
In the metro, conditions will be a step cooler on Wednesday ahead of the snowiest day of the season in the Twin Cities.
Cold air moving in will drop highs to the lower 20s. We will have clouds around in the morning, but sunshine creeps in during the day. We play the waiting game, as our next system doesn't arrive until overnight.
A NEXT Weather Alert is in place for Thursday, with a winter storm watch in effect for western Minnesota. Snow will move in from the northwest Wednesday night and spread across the state to the southeast.
Accumulating snow is likely by the Thursday morning commute. While snow will be wrapping up during the evening commute, breezy winds could cause some visibility issues.
Accumulations are still on track for 2-4 inches with a large swath likely in the 3-6 inch range around the I-94 corridor and slightly north. Snow will wind down through the day, with the potential for a batch in the evening as moisture wraps around.
A Canadian high will bring colder temperatures for Friday and Saturday, with lows in the single digits and highs in the teens. A weak system late Friday into Saturday could produce an inch or so, but it looks to be southwest of the area at this time.
Looking ahead to early next week, temperatures will rise into the 20s and 30s and another weather system may move through. The precipitation type will depend on the warming trend.
It's unclear at this point if most Minnesotans still have snow on the ground come Christmas Day.
