A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Thursday afternoon through Friday morning as snow accumulations of 4-8 inches are expected during that time.

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING

WHAT... Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches possible.

WHERE... Portions of central, east central, south central, southeast, southwest and west central Minnesota.

WHEN... From Thursday afternoon through Friday morning

IMPACTS... Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS... Snow will steadily accumulate, and snowfall rates in excess of 1 inch/hr are currently not expected.Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes.

The storm system that moved through Sunday Night into AM Monday was an overachiever in many communities around the metro. The golden snow shovel award goes to Oakdale, where 7.5" of snow fell! The National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen also saw quite a bit with 6.7" of snow. Meanwhile, the MSP Airport only had 3.3".

See more from the NWS Twin Cities HERE:

"Confidence is increasing that a large storm system will affect the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with impactful snow and wind later this week. See our key message graphic for additional details."

"Another system is set to bring multiple days of accumulating snow across parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin starting Wednesday and lasting through Friday."

Here's the Weather Outlook From AM Tuesday to midday Wednesday, which shows our next storm system moving into the Midwest by midweek. Areas of snow will develop during the first part of the day Wednesday and will likely continue through Thursday and Friday. It's too early to talk amounts, but it definitely looks like it'll be enough to shovel and plow across the region.

The NBM extended temperature outlook for Minneapolis over the next several days shows temperatures hovering in the 30s through mid month. It may be a little cooler for the 2nd weekend of March, but it won't be frigid.

As of Monday, March 6th, the MSP Airport had 9" of snow on the ground. Much of the state of Minnesota and into northern Wisconsin has a pretty significant snowpack. Nearly 2ft of snow is on the ground near Lake Superior and almost 3ft on the ground near Marquette, MI.

Many locations are nearly 2ft to 3ft above average snowfall for the season from Sioux Falls to the Twin Cities and north toward Duluth. After Monday's snow event, 74.7" of snow has fallen at the MSP Airport so far this season (since July 1st), which is the 5th snowiest start to any season on record and nearly 33" above average. Duluth has seen nearly 100" of snow this season.

The weather outlook for the Twin Cities on Tuesday, March 7th will be fairly quiet in the with temps warming into the mid/upper 30s under mostly cloudy skies.

Temps across the region on Tuesday will warm into the 30s across much of the state. Highs in the northwestern corner of the state will only warm into the 10s and 20s, which will be nearly -5F to -15F below average.

Feels like temps on Tuesday will hover in the 20s through much of the day with breezy east to northeasterly winds through the day.

Enjoy the quieter weather on Tuesday because more snow is on the way through the 2nd half of the week. We'll see areas of snow develop midweek and last through Friday. This next round of snow will be enough to shovel and plow in many communities across the southern half of the state.

Temps over the next several days will warm into the 30. We'll actually be close to average through midweek, but we'll cool into the lower 30s late week and into the weekend ahead, which will be nearly -5F to -10F below average.

Weather conditions will turn more active again through the 2nd half of the week and late weekend. There could be some plowable / shovelable snow with cooler temperatures into the weekend.

According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the 8 to 14 day temperature outlook shows cooler than average temperatures across much of the nation, with the exception of parts of the Southern US.

It's all "soul-sucking hype" until it happens. Then it's "Why weren't we warned?" I have an increasingly bad feeling about spring flood season in Minnesota. The small glacier in my yard is playing out statewide and we don't yet know if this movie will have a happy ending.

A gradual, slow-motion meltdown would be optimal, still resulting in minor flooding. A fast-forward spring, a light-switch warm front with days of 50s accompanied by heavy rain would be a worst-case scenario, resulting in rapid runoff and more serious flooding on our streams and rivers.

At 74.7" in the metro area this is now the 13th snowiest winter since 1884. But wait, there's more! Another long-duration snow event is likely Wednesday night into Friday morning. It looks plowable, with more than 6"possible, followed by a few more inches of slush on Sunday. No bitter air behind this conga-line of storms - I see highs in the 30s into next week.

If it's going to snow let's set records. Bragging rights. 85"+ is a Top 5 Snowfall at MSP.

TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy and dry. Winds: E 10-15. High: 39.

WEDNESDAY: Cloudy, light snow arrives late. Winds: SE 10-20. High: 36.

THURSDAY: Heavier snow moves in. Winds: E 10-20. Wake-up: 29. High: 33.

FRIDAY: Snow slowly tapers. Plowable (6"+?). Winds: NE 10-20. Wake-up: 28. High: 32.

SATURDAY: Some sun early. More snow later. Winds: SE 10-20. Wake-up: 27. High: 34.

SUNDAY: Snow tapers, few inches of slush? Winds: S 5-10. Wake-up: 29. High: 35.

March 7th

1987: A heat wave across Minnesota brings the earliest 70 degree readings on record to the Twin Cities. The record high for the day was 73, breaking the old record by 13 degrees. Shorts were common and people were turning over dirt in their gardens for planting.

1950: A snow and ice storm hits Minnesota. The heaviest ice was in northwest and west central Minnesota, especially in Norman County near Twin Valley. 52 electrical poles were down in this area with ice up to 1 ½ inches on wires. All communication lines out of Fargo were out with wind gusts estimated up to 60 mph. In order to provide temporary long distance service to and from isolated communities, short wave radio equipment was used to bridge the gaps. In Pipestone, several plate glass windows were blown in. During the snowstorm that followed later in the day, a Northwest Airlines plane crashed into three homes in Minneapolis killing all 13 on the plane and two on the ground. The left wing of the plane struck a flagpole at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery as it circled to land.

March 7th

Average High: 37F (Record: 73F set in 1987 & 2000)

Record Rainfall: 1.02" set in 1874

Record Snowfall: 11.5" set in 1917

March 5th

Sunrise: 6:39am

Sunset: 6:08pm

Daylight GAINED since yesterday: +3 Minutes & 7 Seconds

Daylight GAINED since Winter Solstice (December 21st): ~ 2 hour & 42 minutes

0.8 Days After The Full "Worm" Moon - "12:29 p.m. CST In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation."

Temperatures on Tuesday will be warmer than average across the Southern US with temps running nearly +10F to +20F above average with near record warmth for some near the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, folks in the Western US will be cooler than average with a few spots dealing with record cold high temps.

A few spots along the gulf Coast and in the Southeastern US will be warm enough for record warmth. Temps in the Southeastern US have had a number of days with record warmth over the past couple/few weeks.

The weather outlook for Tuesday shows areas of rain and snow across parts of the Western US. There will also be a little snow across parts of the Midwest with spotty showers and storms across the Southern US.

Tuesday will initially be fairly quiet across the Central US, but a bigger storm system will take shape by midweek with more widespread precipitation. Areas of heavy snow will develop across parts of the Midwest with showers and storms in the Southern US.

According to NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, the extended precipitation outlook shows heavier amounts in the Southern US once again with more widespread precipitation through the Midwest and Great Lakes. Some of the heaviest precipitation will be found in the Western US and the high elevations.

According to the ECMWF (European model), heavy snow will be found across much of the high elevations in the Western US and across the northern tier of the nation. Some spots in the Midwest could get some plowable snow once again.

"Back in March 2018, Chinese officials and key state scientists gathered in Beijing to celebrate the start of a new front in research: near space. That's a part of airspace 60,000 to 330,000 feet from the ground, just before the beginning of outer space — and historically overlooked by militaries, until recently. "Strengthening the exploration and understanding of near space, seizing the strategic commanding heights of near space and cultivating emerging high-tech industries have become the focus of competition among countries around the world," declared Xiang Libin, a vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xiang, an engineer who specializes in microsatellites and space technology, also serves as chief commander of the Beidou satellite system, China's competitor to the U.S.-run GPS."

"2022 marked the third consecutive La Niña year, which is highly unusual and has only occurred three times since records began in the 1950s. During La Niña events, global temperatures tend to be colder. Uncertain changes in La Niña and El Niño add up to an uncertain outlook for the future, say these climate scientists. It was anchovy fishermen in Peru who first noticed and named El Niño events in the tropical Pacific hundreds of years ago. Their catches would fluctuate and the largest declines were seen near Christmas when the ocean was at its warmest – they called it El Niño de Navidad, the boy of Christmas. With a larger network of observations and some inspired statistical analysis, it became apparent that this decline in fish stocks was part of a Pacific-wide phenomenon including changes in the ocean and atmosphere. This was ENSO, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation."

See more from We Forum HERE:

"From floods in California to freezing temperatures in Texas, 2023 has already seen its share of unusual weather. As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events like heat waves, hurricanes, and droughts will continue to become more common. As weather conditions change, it's essential to know what's coming. We need accurate weather forecasts on many different time scales in order to prepare for climate-related disasters, manage the power supply, plan agriculture, keep transportation running smoothly, and much more. However, we find ourselves in a catch-22, because as weather conditions change and intensify, they become even harder to forecast."

See more from Fast Company HERE: