Minnesota Weather: April Snow To Make For Messy Metro Commute, Blizzard Conditions Out West

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – We're not out of the woods yet. The freshly snowy woods, that is.

Just days after the mercury hit 70 degrees in the Twin Cities, an April snowstorm is dumping heavy snow on Minnesota, with accumulations as great as two feet in the southwest.

On Wednesday the National Weather Service extended a winter storm warning to include the Twin Cities metro, as well as much of northern Minnesota and part of the Minnesota River Valley. Moreover, a blizzard warning is in effect for much of southwestern and west-central Minnesota.

The storm system, which is expected to swirl over the state until Friday, moved into southern Minnesota on Wednesday morning, prompting dozens of schools to cancel classes and send students home early. Driving in southwestern Minnesota is expected to be extremely dangerous, as wind gusts up to 50 mph are forecast to whip up snow, greatly reducing visibility.

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In the Twin Cities, a band of heavy snow hit the area around 2:30 p.m. Falling at rates as high as 1 to 2 inches an hour, the snow slowed down through the evening but is expected to continue during the overnight hours and into Tuesday. Motorists should prepare for messy commutes Thursday morning.

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On Thursday, the precipitation is expected to continue in the Twin Cities, but it could come as a mix of rain, sleet and snow as temperatures warm during the day. Snow is expected to continue falling in northern and western Minnesota.

As for snow totals on Friday morning, it all depends on location and how much of the precipitation falls as snow. The heaviest snow is expected to stack up in southwestern Minnesota, where some communities could see totals as high as 2 feet. In north-central Minnesota, accumulations look to between 10 and 16 inches.

For the Twin Cities, it's tricky, as the snowfall gradient cuts across the metro area. The south metro could see 3 to 6 inches by Friday morning while the northwestern suburbs could see upwards of a foot of snow.

Following the storm, temperatures look to remain below average through the weekend. Don't expect significant melting until next week.

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