Planning an Easter weekend drive from the Twin Cites to Fargo, N.D.; Sisseton, S.D.; Fergus Falls, Brainerd or Duluth?

You might want to reconsider.

A bona-fide blizzard warning will be in effect for the Fargo-Moorhead area, running all the way south to Sisseton and other parts of eastern South Dakota, from late Friday until early Saturday, while a winter storm warning will be in effect for a large band of north-central Minnesota, according to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. The warning zone runs from just south of Bemidji in the northwest to Duluth and much of the North Shore in the northeast, then south to Morris, St. Cloud and western Wisconsin.

In the Fargo-Moorhead area, 8-12 inches of new snow was possible overnight, and even when the sun comes out, it'll continue to be dangerously wintry, with high winds whipping the snow around and a high of about 18. Easter Sunday in that area will be sunny and cold, with a high near 29 and continued gusty winds.

Meanwhile, the Twin Cities metro area is (once again) on the edge of a sharp weather-severity gradient, with St. Paul closer to the storm warning area and both big cities, as well as surrounding areas, squarely in a hazardous weather outlook area.

In the metro area, rain and snow are expected overnight, with a low around 28. One to 3 inches of snow will accumulate overnight. The north metro is likely to get heavier amounts.

Metro area snow will taper off in the morning, but then winds will pick up, with gusts as high as 35 miles per hour, the Weather Service said.

Saturday night will be clear and cold in the metro, with a low around 12 and stiff winds continuing.

Easter morning will dawn clear and cold, with a high near 35 and somewhat lighter winds. But the sunshine will fade again Monday and Tuesday, when rain and snow are likely in the metro area. Chilly weather is expected to continue through next week.