Tuesday clipper: Heaviest snowfall north

Our underachieving winter kicks it up a notch.

The next shot of winter rolls into Minnesota with a wintry smorgasbord Tuesday.

An intensity scale for clippers? A sort of Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale of 1 to 5 for Minnesota winter storms? If there was, I would give our incoming system a solid 3 on a 1 to 5 scale.

Here are some headlines for Tuesday's inbound winter weather system.

• Winter weather advisories are flying from the Twin Cities metro north Tuesday.

• Icy morning wintry mix for metro and southern Minnesota transitions to all snow by midday

• Afternoon rush hour likely to have highest impact Tuesday with falling snow and slick roads

• Heaviest, steadiest snowfall favors areas north of the Twin Cities

• Highest snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches likely from Fargo-Brainerd-Duluth-Iron Range cities-North Shore International Falls and Ely/BWCA.

Twin Cities rides the dicey southern edge

Another winter storm tracking just north of the Twin Cities? The metro on the edge of another big snow gradient with a big snowfall range potential from south to north? Why should this time be any different?

Yes, this system has higher than average bust potential for the Twin Cities. A range of 1 to 5 inches from far south to far north metro? I could see that happening Tuesday.

Here's a look at the low pressure track through Minnesota.

Northern Minnesota is the epicenter for this system. A snowy swath dumps a plowable 3 to 6 inch blanket across the Northland.

A moderately cold arctic invasion brings sub-zero temperatures by Thursday morning.

Get used to winter. February looks like the only one of the three months that make up meteorological winter that will come in colder than average.

Stay warm Minnesota. And take it easy on the roads and plan for extra travel time Tuesday.