The National Weather Service in Chanhassen has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for parts Wright County and parts of Central Minnesota as a slow-moving system makes its way through the area Thursday afternoon and evening.
According to the NWS, the St. Michael area could see about 3 inches of heavy, wet snow Thursday night, with accumulation beginning Thursday afternoon as temperatures cool around the area below the freezing mark.
Monticello could see even more accumulation, depending on when the snow/rain line makes its way across the state. Snow was already falling in parts of Central Minnesota, including St. Cloud, early in the afternoon.
More from the National Weather Service:
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING.
* SNOW WILL DEVELOP AFTER NOON WITH HEAVY SNOWFALL POSSIBLE IN THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF 6 PM.
* SNOWFALL RATES COULD BE AN INCH PER HOUR BETWEEN 2 AND 6 PM.
* TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED.
* PLAN ON HAZARDOUS TRAVEL DUE TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND SNOW COVERED ROADS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES… AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
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More Information
… ACCUMULATING SNOW TODAY FROM SOUTHWEST THROUGH WEST CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA…
.RAIN IS TRANSITIONING TO A HEAVY… WET SNOW ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS MORNING. THIS TRANSITION TO SNOW WILL EVENTUALLY REACH A REDWOOD FALLS… TO ST. CLOUD… TO MORA LINE AROUND 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THE GREATEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MONTEVIDEO… NORTHEAST TO LITTLE FALLS AND MORA WHERE 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED. MUCH OF THIS SNOW WILL FALL WITHIN A 4 HOUR WINDOW… WITH SNOWFALL RATES WITHIN THE BAND EXPECTED TO BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES PER HOUR. SNOW WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST BETWEEN 3 AND 7 PM.