Winter storm warning: Snow increasing overnight into Thursday

Our sixth winter storm in the past seven weeks expands snowfall coverage across most of the southern half of Minnesota through Thursday morning.

The system will be a more classic January snow event. Overall snowfall-to-water ratios will be closer to 13:1 with this snow. That means this drier snowfall will be easier to shovel than the recent slushy snowfall we’ve been shoveling.

Here are some key forecast points as we move through Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

• Winter storm warnings now include parts of Dakota and Washington counties

• Winter storm warnings include most of southern Minnesota

• Winter weather advisories include the rest of the Twin Cities and much of central Minnesota

• Snowfall coverage will increase across southern Minnesota through midnight

• Snowfall coverage will increase in the Twin Cities around and after midnight

• The heaviest snowfall rates will occur between midnight and 7 a.m. Thursday

• Thursday morning’s rush hours will be challenging at best

• Snowfall will gradually taper off Thursday afternoon and evening

Snowfall timing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km resolution model still brings the leading edge of the snow zone into southern Minnesota between about 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

Most forecast models bring snow into the Twin Cities in the hour surrounding midnight. Snow then spreads north through the overnight hours.

Snowfall totals

It still looks like the heaviest zone of between 5 and 10 inches of snow will lay out across southern Minnesota favoring the Interstate 90 corridor.

The Twin Cities region is more likely to see a 3 to 6-inch range in the most populated areas, with lesser totals farther north.

Here’s a wider look at the most likely snowfall totals for all of Minnesota:

Temperatures Thursday will be in the teens west, to low 30s east.

Stay safe out there, Minnesota!