Winter isn't coming. It's here. And to the tune of 3-6 inches for the northern third of the state.

Rain turned to snow Wednesday morning, and snow was expected to continue falling into early Thursday. Impacted areas include eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, from Detroit Lakes to Bemidji and areas north, the National Weather Service said.

Some areas are forecast to get even more—up to 8 inches—across a fairly narrow band of heavier snow, but forecasters aren't yet sure where that band will fall. Wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour are also expected across eastern North Dakota and up to 30 miles per hour across northwestern Minnesota. Meanwhile in the Twin Cities metro area, rain continued falling, as it has every day in October except for one (Oct. 6.) As of midnight, the Twin Cities has received 2.71 inches of rain so far this month, which exceeds the average precipitation for October of 2.43 inches, the National Weather Service said. STAR TRIBUNE STAFF