A light dusting of snow overnight in the metro was just the tease for the main event moving in Tuesday afternoon when a clipper system will bring freezing rain, heavy snow and gusty winds that could make travel hazardous.
Between 4 and 7 inches of snow are expected to fall in an area stretching from Little Falls, Minn. through the northern Twin Cities suburbs to Eau Claire, Wis. where a winter storm warning is in effect through Wednesday morning.
A winter weather advisory for the potential of 3 to 5 inches covers an area from Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls southeast through the core of the metro area and extending to Rochester and Winona, the National Weather Service said.
The heaviest amounts will be along and north of I-94, said National Weather Service meteorologist Caleb Grunzke.
South of that “there is more uncertainty,” he said. Temperatures flirting with the 32-degree mark in the metro could have precipitation falling as freezing rain for an hour or two before changing to snow.
Southern Minnesota may see more rain than snow until colder air arrives later in the day or into the evening hours.
Regardless, nobody is likely to escape the latest brush with winter.
Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, are likely to become glazed with ice, creating hazardous conditions especially during the evening commute, the Weather Service warns.
