Twin Cities, central Minnesota still slated for snow but less than originally predicted

After January closed with record-breaking warmth, the other shoe is about to drop.

A windy Thursday ushered in much colder air, setting the stage for substantial snowfall Friday night into Saturday for the metro and much of central Minnesota, the National Weather Service said. However, as of Thursday afternoon, snowfall predictions have started to trend down from the original forecasts.

According to the National Weather Service Twin Cities, snow is expected to begin in western Minnesota as early as Friday night reaching eastern Minnesota by early Saturday morning. Snow is expected to taper off later in the day with the quick-moving nature of the storm likely limiting the potential for higher-end snow totals.

Meteorologists said Thursday afternoon they expect 4 to 7 inches of snow, slightly less than the 5 to 8 inches of snow initially broadcast to fall along a line from Granite Falls to the Twin Cities.

The potential weekend snowfall prompted the Weather Service to issue its first winter storm watch for the metro this year.

“Expect disruptions to daily life,” the Weather Service said. “Closures and disruptions to infrastructure may occur.”

In more recent online forecast discussions, forecasters say, “Do not be surprised to see reductions in subsequent snowfall forecasts.” It’s also possible the area with the highest snow amounts might be smaller than earlier depicted.

The watch is in effect from late Friday through Saturday afternoon from Morris to Willmar to the metro and south to Rochester, Mankato and La Crosse, Wis.

The metro’s largest storm of the season so far was just over 5 inches on Dec. 19, but the Weather Service has “medium to high confidence” that 6 inches or more of snow piled up along and south of the I-94 corridor.

Models give a 70% to 90% chance of 4 inches or more falling along the same area.

“This is one of the best signals we’ve had all winter for a wide swath of accumulating snow,” the Weather Service said.

A light burst of overnight snow turned roads slick and likely was a factor in a crash involving a semitrailer truck that had the eastbound lanes of I-94 partially blocked in Maple Grove for the early Thursday morning rush hour, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.

A Maple Grove police officer who responded to the crash before the State Patrol arrived was struck from behind by a passing motorist, said Lt. Michael Lee of the State Patrol.

The officer was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, Lee said.

The lanes near Brockton Lane reopened about 6:30 a.m. but not before traffic stacked up for miles behind the incident, Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras showed.

“Slow down and use extra caution on your morning commute,” MnDOT warned

The next round of snow will begin in western Minnesota on Friday evening and reach the eastern part of the state by Saturday morning. Precipitation is expected to taper off by Saturday evening, the Weather Service said.

Ahead of the storm, a wind advisory is in place Thursday until 6 p.m. as gusts could reach as high as 45 to 50 miles per hour, the Weather Service said.

A fresh snowpack and arctic air moving in behind the storm will send windchill readings into the teens below zero Saturday night and set the stage for a frigid start to next week.

As temperatures sink into the low teens for highs Sunday and Monday with lows at or below zero, there are signs that spring is really on the way.

The darkest three-month period of the year is behind us as February marks the beginning of solar spring, the part of the year with the most rapid light gain, the Weather Service said.

The Twin Cities will see 70 more minutes of daylight by the end of the month, according to Accuweather.