BREAKING: Blizzard Conditions Expected Across Wright County Tuesday

A sizable band of snow is expected to creep into the Wright County area tonight, dropping measurable amounts of precipitation into Tuesday morning – the first “real” snowfall the area has season in more than a month.

However, it’s the arctic winds following that storm sometime Tuesday afternoon that have National Weather Service officials issuing a hazardous weather warning for much of the St. Michael-Albertville area, a blizzard warning in effect for the areas south and west of Wright County.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for this area from 3 a.m. overnight tonight to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 3 as the snow makes its way across the region. The winds are expected to arrive in the area some time around the lunch hour, clocking in at 40 mph or more, officials forecast.

Here’s the alert from the NWS Twin Cities:

Winter Weather Advisory

...ACCUMULATING SNOW FOLLOWED BY STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AND
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TUESDAY...

A BAND OF SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS EVENING FROM EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA. INTENSE
SNOW RATES ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THIS BAND AND A FEW INCHES WILL
LIKELY FALL WITHIN A 6 HOUR PERIOD LATE TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL SNOW
WILL DEVELOP ACROSS EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN MINNESOTA LATE
TONIGHT AND PERSIST INTO EARLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES ARE FORECAST AREA WIDE WITH THE
HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ACROSS CENTRAL MINNESOTA INTO NORTHWESTERN
WISCONSIN.

OF EVEN MORE IMPORTANCE IS AN ARCTIC FRONT THAT WILL PUSH THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS AS
HIGH AS 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED...PARTICULARLY ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THE STRONG WINDS WILL PRODUCE
CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS.
VISIBILITIES WILL BE FREQUENTLY REDUCED TO LESS THAN 1/4 MILE IN
OPEN AREAS.

A BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH
TUESDAY EVENING FOR AREAS WEST OF A LINE FROM GLENWOOD TO
HUTCHINSON...LE CENTER...AND OWATONNA. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
IS IN EFFECT ACROSS THE REST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA AND
WESTERN WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MORA...ELK RIVER...CAMBRIDGE...
CENTER CITY...MONTICELLO...MINNEAPOLIS...BLAINE...ST. PAUL...
STILLWATER...CHASKA...SHAKOPEE...HASTINGS...FARIBAULT...
RED WING...OSCEOLA...RICE LAKE...LADYSMITH...HUDSON...PRESCOTT...
MENOMONIE...DURAND...CHIPPEWA FALLS...EAU CLAIRE

* TIMING...SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT AND TAPER OFF TUESDAY
  AFTERNOON...AS WINDS INCREASE BEHIND A COLD FRONT. THE STRONG
  WINDS WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW THROUGH TUESDAY
  EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...2 TO 5 INCHES.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY...WIND GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH WILL PRODUCE AREAS
  OF BLOWING SNOW AND VISIBILITIES LESS THAN ONE MILE IN OPEN
  AREAS.

* IMPACTS...TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT. THE MORNING RUSH MAY BE
  SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY SNOW AND THE AFTERNOON RUSH MAY BE
  IMPACTED WITH BLOWING SNOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT
VISIBILITIES WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO A COMBINATION OF FALLING AND
BLOWING SNOW. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN
AREAS.

WIND CHILL VALUES COULD DROP TO 20 TO 25 BELOW WEDNESDAY MORNING.

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