Spring will take a mid-April hiatus as a weekend storm blankets much of southern and southeastern Minnesota with several inches of heavy, wet snow.

"Plowable accumulations possible, particularly south and east of the Twin Cities," the NWS's weekend advisory reads.

"Snowfall rates of an inch per hour or higher appear possible Sunday afternoon and evening, allowing the snow to quickly accumulate," the NWS said. "The chance for snowfall amounts of 6 inches or more appears highest from southern and east central Minnesota into west central Wisconsin."

A winter storm watch will go into effect in those areas Sunday and extend into Monday, the NWS said. Because the snow will be so heavy and wet, "some tree damage and power outages could occur," it added.

While exact amounts of snowfall remained uncertain, depending on the storm's track, the NWS said late Friday that cities in the heart of the storm zone, like Rochester, Mankato, Red Wing and Eau Claire, Wis., could see 5 to 11 inches of snow by the time it ends Monday.

It also predicted that 2 to 6 inches of snow could fall even on the storm's northwestern border, which includes the Twin Cities.

The threat of winterlike conditions had the NWS advising motorists to monitor forecasts and think about potential hazards for travel.

Saturday in the metro area will be mostly cloudy and warm, with a high near 57 and calm winds, the NWS said. Rain is likely by 8 p.m., mixing with snow early Sunday.

By 2 p.m. Sunday, snow is likely, with a high near 39 and north-northeast winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour, the NWS said.

By Monday morning, 2 to 6 inches of snow will be on the ground. Tuesday's high of 37, under sunny skies, may lead to some melting, but the rest of the week will remain relatively cool.

Staff writers Pamela Miller and Tim Harlow contributed to this report.