Minnesota Weather: Season's First Snow Is On The Way

TWIN CITIES, MN — The first snow of the season is expected to move into the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area late Thursday night and last through Friday. With temperatures hovering in the 30s, the National Weather Service says there's a potential for accumulation.

A winter storm watch has been issued for northwestern Minnesota, which could experience blizzard and whiteout conditions before the system hits warmer temperatures in the Twin Cities. Check back with Patch later this week as the storm approaches the metro.

Current forecast through Friday:

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.

Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast 5 to 10 mph in the evening.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. South southeast wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Thursday night: Rain likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 35. West northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 11 a.m. High near 38. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Friday night: A chance of rain before 10 p.m., then a chance of rain and snow between 10 p.m. and midnight, then a chance of snow after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Blustery, with a north wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

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Image via National Weather Service