Frigid temperatures this weekend prompt cold weather advisories

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Be careful out there. Snow will cause slippery roads and reduced visibilities across much of Minnesota and parts of west-central and southwestern Wisconsin into Friday evening. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 6 a.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Friday:

NOAA’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model shows a similar precipitation pattern:

Notice that the Twin Cities metro area rides the eastern edge of the snow, so the northeastern part of the metro area can expect less snow than the southwestern half.

Parts of southwestern Minnesota could see 7 to 11 inches of snow by Friday evening, with lower totals to the east. 

The area shaded in red has the best odds of 6 or more inches of snow:

By Friday evening, it looks like Twin Cities metro area snow totals could range from 1 to 2 inches in eastern Anoka County and northern Washington County to 4 to 5 inches in Carver, Scott, Hennepin and western Dakota counties.

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News 

, and you can see updated weather info on the MPR News 

Winter storm warnings (shaded pink in the graphic below) continue into Friday evening across most of west-central, southwest and south-central Minnesota and to the western edge of the Twin Cities metro area:

The southwestern half of the Twin Cities metro area is in a winter weather advisory until 9 p.m. this Friday, for 3 to 5 inches of snow:

Here are details of the winter storm warning in southwestern Minnesota:

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories are also in effect until midnight Friday night for portions of northwestern Minnesota:

Updated Minnesota road conditions can be found 

. Wisconsin road conditions can be found 

An updated Updraft blog will be posted by 9:30 a.m. Friday, with a look at this weekend and the coming week. The metro area could see a bit of light snow on Sunday and Tuesday.

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Ron Trenda

Author

We have the updated snow forecast and warnings/advisories for Friday’s winter storm. 

Vehicles drive on a snow-covered highway.

Storm will slow Friday commutes; snow totals highest in western Minnesota

Go Deeper.

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