Large winter storm coming our way

Monday will be a mostly gray day with low clouds and morning fog. Afternoon high temperatures will be in the teens in northwestern Minnesota and 20s elsewhere. The Twin Cities should reach about 27.

Big, wet winter storm approaching

An unusually wet and warm winter storm will come our way slowly from Colorado on Monday. A light wintry mix will break out across southern Minnesota Monday afternoon. Snow will break out farther north, mainly Monday night and Tuesday.

Here’s a look at how the major impacts seem to be shaping up:

Ice Storm

An ice storm in south central Minnesota will be a real problem for travel and maybe power lines. An ice storm warning goes into effect at 6 p.m. on Monday and will continue through Tuesday for the areas shown. Ice of around a quarter of an inch should be expected by Tuesday. Lesser amounts of freezing rain and sleet are likely for southeastern Minnesota including Rochester.

Heavy snow

Snow will be the main weather element on the north side of the storm. Heavy, rather wet snow is likely from Monday night well into Wednesday. The winter storm warnings go into effect at a variety of times, generally beginning Monday night.

Many areas generally west of the Twin Cities are likely to pick up around 8 to 12 inches of snow by Wednesday. Heaviest snowfalls are likely to be in southwest and west central Minnesota where most areas will get a foot or more. The Highest amounts seem likely for the Buffalo Ridge area of southwestern Minnesota.

Lesser amounts of snow are likely north of the winter storm warning.

Wintry mix

A wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow will be likely along the border between the ice and snow. This area is likely to shift around with time and gradually change over to all snow as the storm progresses.

Twin Cities

The Twin Cities area will have a cloudy Monday with morning fog. Some wintry mix is likely by late Monday afternoon or evening, especially on the south side. The winter storm warning is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. and continue through Tuesday until midnight. Snow will continue through Wednesday. Total snowfalls in the metro area should be something around 6 to 8 inches but could change quite a bit if more or less of the precipitation falls as freezing rain or sleet.