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Expected Snow Cutoff Line Runs Right Up To Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you live in the Twin Cities, exactly where you live may make the difference between seeing a significant amount of snow over the next day and seeing practically none.

A major winter storm is on track to bring plowable snow to parts of Minnesota by Saturday morning.

Friday should bring reasonably nice conditions for the better part of the day, with some glimpses of sun and high temperatures in the low 40s.

WCCO meteorologist Matt Brickman says the system should push into southwestern Minnesota by late Friday afternoon bringing, at first, cold rain and gusty wind. The initial wave looks to be a weak one, likely falling apart as it hits the southwestern corner of the state.

As night falls, temperatures will drop, the moisture in the system will start taking over and the rain will gradually transition over to snow by Friday overnight.

The snow will fall heaviest over the Minnesota River Valley. The line, however, looks to stop just short of including the entire Twin Cities metro area. Western suburbs could see anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of snow, but St. Paul and the eastern side may not see more than a couple trace flakes, if that.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of southern and western Minnesota. That includes Scott and Carver counties. Hennepin, Stearns and Dakota counties are under a winter weather advisory. Ramsey and Washington counties are not under any National Weather Service alerts.

"Like we've seen with so many of these Alberta clippers, they tend to have those sharp cutoffs," WCCO meteorologist Matt Brickman said.

March is actually the third snowiest month in the Twin Cities, averaging about 10 inches. So far this month we've only seen half that.

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