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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — After a stretch of dry and mild weather, change is coming to Minnesota. A storm system is moving toward the state, expected to bring strong winds and several inches of fresh snow.
Meteorologists for WCCO say this storm will be a two-to-three day event. It will begin Thursday morning as a wintry mix before transitioning to all snow in the evening and continuing throughout Friday and into the early hours of Saturday morning.
We go from mild to wild. Expect a brief round of mixed precipitation early tomorrow followed by more snow later in the day into Friday. The wind will be strong to the west as well. pic.twitter.com/LhEQNxj1af
— Chris Shaffer (@WCCOShaffer) January 13, 2021
Snowfall will light to moderate through the duration of the storm, Meteorologist Riley O’Connor says. However, because the snow will fall over a long period of time, there’s a chance more than 5 inches could stack up in some areas. Models suggest the Twin Cities could see around 2 to 6 inches of snow.
Another factor in this storm will be the wind. Gusts over 40 mph are expected in southwestern Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. On Friday morning, wind gusts could reach 50 mph, creating the potential for blowing snow and hazardous travel conditions.
Already, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for several counties in Minnesota’s southwestern corner. That watch will likely be extended to other counties, O’Connor says.
Meteorologist Mike Augustyniak says Thursday morning’s commute will likely be wet or slushy, and as snow continues to fall, the afternoon commute could see slushy and snowy roads. Since temperatures will be close to freezing, the snow will be a heavier and wetter consistency, which means the chemicals will work better on the roads.
Our Thur. snow-maker is showing signs of bogging down as the jet stream ‘kinks’ and traps the surface low. This means snow/snow showers will linger into early Saturday in #MNwx & #WIwx, and could mean higher snow totals. My updated forecast is coming up at noon on @WCCO pic.twitter.com/Sb8SIlKq7s
— Mike Augustyniak (@MikeAugustyniak) January 13, 2021
Looking ahead to the weekend, the weather looks to be dry with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s, which is about average for this time of year.
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