Winter storm nowcast: Heaviest snowfall rates between now and 9 p.m.

Updated: 4:24 p.m.

Our well-advertised winter storm is here and delivering snowfall from the greater Twin Cities area southward.

Winter storm warnings continue through tonight for most of southern Minnesota. Winter weather advisories extend north into central Minnesota to about St. Cloud.

Radar update

Radar images Friday afternoon show classic banding structure with bands of heavier snowfall setting up from the southern Twin Cities south to Northfield and southwest to New Ulm.

These areas will produce snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour from late afternoon through about 9 p.m. as the storm reaches peak intensity.

Snowfall reports so far

• Highland Park: 1.8 inches

• Cannon Falls: 2.4 inches

• Mankato: 3 inches

• Northfield: 3.4 inches

Difficult travel conditions

The heavier snowfall rates will cause difficult travel conditions through Friday night. One positive is that temperatures are hovering around 30 degrees. That means road treatments will be effective. But it’s going to be hard for plows to keep up with the vigorous snowfall rates in many areas through tonight.

Expect difficult travel conditions through Friday night.

Snow emergencies declared, transportation services disrupted

Several communities in the Twin Cities metro area including Minneapolis and St. Paul have declared snow emergencies as a winter storm continues to move across the region.

Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center and St. Louis Park are among the other cities to declare snow emergencies. Those declarations set into motion a number of parking restrictions so that plows can clear streets. More information can be found on street signs or city websites.

Meanwhile, Metro Transit reported earlier Friday afternoon that just over a quarter of its bus routes were running behind schedule — the average delay of just a few minutes. There were no delays reported on Light Rail lines.

At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, flights have been delayed or grounded altogether due to the snowfall. Airport spokesperson Patrick Hogan says 191 flights have been already cancelled. With more snow expected to fall into the evening, Hogan said there will likely be more flight cancellations.

Big snowfall gradient across the Twin Cities

The overall picture for eventual snowfall totals looks pretty much the same as Thursday with a few tweaks. The Twin Cities rides the northern edge of the heaviest snowfall zone. That should produce a fairly big snowfall gradient across the greater Twin Cities from northwest to southeast.

Snowfall totals between St. Cloud and far northwest Twin Cities communities like Rogers look likely to end up between 1 and 4 inches. I still think most of the more densely populated Twin Cities area will pick up between 4 and 8 inches, with 10-inch plus totals more likely in southern and southeastern Twin Cities communities in Dakota and Sothern Washington counties.

Bottom line storm headlines as of Friday afternoon

• Expect the heaviest snowfall rates and travel issues between now and 9 pm tonight.

• Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour will favor the southern Twin Cities and points south and southwest.

• Snowfall intensity will taper off mid to late this evening.

• Snowfall will end from west to east between about 2 and 4 a.m. across the Twin Cities.

Stay safe and enjoy the snow if you can.