Weekend weather: Snow Saturday; highs in the 30s

I’ll get to the details about this weekend’s snow after an update on our snowy Thursday.

Snow Thursday, Thursday night

Snow will continue Thursday afternoon and into Thursday night across most of central and southern Minnesota and in much of Wisconsin and northern and eastern Iowa. The northern third of Minnesota will also see some areas of snow.

Here are expected snow totals through Thursday night and into early Friday:

Winter storm warnings are posted for southeastern Minnesota and a portion of southwestern Minnesota, with winter weather advisories (blue) in many areas, including the Twin Cities:

Here are details of the winter weather advisory that includes the Twin Cities metro area :

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1013 AM CST Thu Mar 9 2023 MNZ041-042-048>051-057>063-066>070-076>078-100015- /O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0014.230309T1800Z-230310T1200Z/ Douglas-Todd-Pope-Stearns-Benton-Sherburne-Kandiyohi-Meeker- Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-McLeod-Sibley-Carver- Scott-Dakota-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue- Including the cities of Alexandria, Long Prairie, Glenwood, St Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Willmar, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, Le Sueur, Faribault, and Red Wing 1013 AM CST Thu Mar 9 2023 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central, south central, southeast and west central Minnesota. * WHEN...Until 6 AM CST Friday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

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

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service La Crosse WI 1012 AM CST Thu Mar 9 2023 ...Snow Approaching The Area... .A winter storm is still on track to bring snow to the area, with moderate to heavy snowfall already impacting roadways across central Iowa. Snow will continue to move into the area through the afternoon and evening, eventually tapering off through the overnight hours. Snowfall totals are expected to range from 4 to 7 inches, with some locally higher amounts possible. Snowfall rates approaching an inch per hour are possible this afternoon and evening across northeast Iowa into southwest and central Wisconsin. Rates this high will cause rapidly decreasing visibilities and quick accumulations, with roads quickly becoming snow covered and dangerous travel conditions developing. Consider altering travel plans if necessary. IAZ010-011-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ054-061-100015- /O.CON.KARX.WS.W.0005.230309T1800Z-230310T1200Z/ Winneshiek-Allamakee-Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower- Fillmore-Houston-Crawford-Grant- Including the cities of Decorah, Waukon, Elkader, Wabasha, Dodge Center, Rochester, Winona, Austin, Preston, Caledonia, Prairie Du Chien, and Platteville 1012 AM CST Thu Mar 9 2023 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY... * WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches. * WHERE...Portions of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 6 AM CST Friday. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. In Iowa, visit 511ia.org for road conditions. In Minnesota, visit 511mn.org for road conditions. In Wisconsin, visit 511wi.gov for road conditions.

You can find updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the Minnesota Public Radio News network, and on the MPR News live weather blog.

Another batch of snow on Saturday

Yet another batch of snow is expected on Saturday, lingering into Saturday night and Sunday in parts of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern from 3 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday:

Snow totals may be in the 2 to 4 inch range in many areas Saturday into early Sunday.

Weekend temps

The average Twin Cities high temp is 39 degrees on March 11. Metro area highs are forecast to reach the low to mid-30s on Saturday.

Most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin will have Saturday highs in the 30s:

Parts of northern Minnesota will top out in the upper 20s.

Winds will pick up on Saturday, with gusts over 30 mph in some areas:

Forecast wind gusts are in knots, with 27 knots equal to 31.1 mph.

Sunday highs will be in the 30s in most locations, with some upper 20s in far western Minnesota:

Spring ahead

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. Sunday. If you have any watches or clocks that don’t automatically adjust, you might want to turn them ahead one hour before you go to sleep Saturday night.

Programming note

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