Winter Storm Could Dump 12 Inches Of Snow On Twin Cities: MN Weather

MINNEAPOLIS — After a warm first half of February, winter is about to return to Minnesota with a vengeance. The National Weather Service now says more than 12 inches of snow is possible for the Twin Cities metro area later this week.

A winter storm watch was issued for the following Minnesota and Wisconsin counties:

Douglas, Todd, Morrison, Mille Lacs, Kanabec, Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago, Wright, Hennepin, Anoka, Ramsey, Washington, Carver, Scott, Dakota, Le Sueur, Rice, Goodhue, Waseca, Steele, Freeborn, Polk, Barron, Rusk, St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn, Pepin, Chippewa, and Eau Claire.

The storm will come in two rounds, with the first arriving Tuesday evening:

• Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning: Between 4 and 8 inches of snow to fall.
• Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon: Another 8 or more inches of snow to fall.

Temperatures will drop below zero on Thursday.

"Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commutes," the NWS warns.

"The cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes."

Here's the specific NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Monday: A chance of snow before 2pm, then a chance of rain and snow between 2pm and 4pm, then a slight chance of snow after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of snow after noon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 23. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: Snow. Low around 18. Blustery, with a northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow, mainly after noon. Patchy blowing snow. High near 25. Windy, with a northeast wind 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow, mainly after 5am. Low around 14. Windy, with a northeast wind 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday: Snow, mainly before noon. The snow could be heavy at times. Widespread blowing snow, mainly before 11am. High near 18. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around -6. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 15. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. South southeast wind around 10 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 29. South wind around 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 13. West wind 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 28. West wind 10 to 15 mph.