Districts canceling school as winter storm nears Twin Cities

Numerous school districts are closing Monday in preparation for a winter storm that's expected to dump 6 to 8 inches across the Twin Cities.

Minneapolis, St. Paul and Anoka-Hennepin are among the districts that announced cancellations due to expected treacherous road conditions.

Forecasters say Monday will start out with cold rain, then the precipitation will switch to heavy, wet snow by noon, setting up a challenging drive home.

"Tomorrow evening's commute is going to be pretty rough," Eric Ahasic, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Sunday night.

The heavy, wet snow is expected to fall all afternoon, with the heaviest during the afternoon commute.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning beginning 6 a.m. Monday. When it's over, the metro area should have 6 to 8 inches of new snow.

"This is an intense system that's spinning up here over the northern plains," Ahasic said.

Snow will continue all night and taper off by midnight.

St. Cloud is expected to get 6 to 8 inches of snow. Precipitation will be heaviest between Hinckley and Duluth, where 8 to 10 inches are expected. Less snow is expected south and west of the Twin Cities.

After the snowstorm, the week looks colder than usual, but not the bone-chilling weather experienced in December and January. Sunshine is expected Wednesday and Thursday.

March is the third snowiest month, Ahasic said, with 10.5 inches falling on average.

"When it does snow in March, it typically is these heavier events," he said. "Kind of your home run snowfalls, rather than your singles and doubles."

The storm comes on the tail end of a springlike snap in Minnesota.

Erin Adler • 612-673-1781