In a word, the weekend weather forecast is complicated.
It's going to snow. It's going to rain. It's going to sleet. At times, it is going to do all of that at once.
By the time the second storm of the Thanksgiving weekend moves out of the area Sunday, the metro area could pick up 4 to 12 inches of snow, while places to the north are in line to get more than a foot — in some, up to 22 inches. Gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph will make travel difficult to impossible across the state, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning that began at 9 p.m. Friday will run until noon Sunday from the South Dakota border to Willmar and the Twin Cities and extending east to Eau Claire in Wisconsin. The warning area also stretches north to the Canadian border. By late Friday, snow and sleet were falling across much of Minnesota. Roads in the southwest and northern parts of the state were already treacherous, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation's oft-updated road-conditions map.
A blizzard warning is in effect for Duluth and areas along the North Shore of Lake Superior. "This could be one of the worst storms of the season for Duluth and parts of the north and south shores," the Weather Service said.
A less dire winter weather advisory is in effect in the southern third of the state, where 2 to 5 inches of snow could fall in areas such as Worthington, Mankato, Albert Lea, Rochester and Red Wing. Cities just to the south of the Twin Cities metro area lie on the line between the winter storm warning and advisory.
The slow-moving storm will linger across the state, allowing for impressive November snow totals, particularly to the north, said Caleb Grunzke, a Weather Service meteorologist.
In the metro and southern Minnesota, there is more uncertainty, he said.
Friday night's snow and freezing rain in the Twin Cities will give way primarily to snow, with 1 to 3 inches of snow after midnight, Grunzke said.
Another 1 to 3 inches of snow will mix with rain and sleet during the day Saturday, which will affect conditions at TCF Bank Stadium, where the Gophers play the Badgers at 2:30 p.m.
Temperatures in the metro area will hover around 32 degrees for most of the weekend, Grunzke said. Any variation in temperature and the whole forecast could change, he said.
With a month left in 2019, the metro area has already surpassed the record for the wettest year.
After Sunday, things will dry out. Sunny to mostly sunny conditions are expected Monday to Thursday with highs in the upper 20s to low 30s.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
