Winter Weather Advisory Issued For Twin Cities Ahead Of Ice, Sleet, Snow

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Twin Cities and a wide stretch of southern and central Minnesota ahead of a messy midweek storm.

The advisory runs from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 7 p.m. Thursday.

Counties included in the advisory are:

Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Scott, Carver, Wright, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago, Renville, McLeod, Sibley, Redwood, Brown, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Rice, Goodhue, Watonwan, Blue Earth, Waseca, and Steele counties.

Forecasters say the system will bring a mix of precipitation, including snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain.

In the Twin Cities, snow totals are expected to stay on the lower end, generally around a half inch or less, with up to 2 inches possible.

Instead, sleet and freezing rain are expected to be the main concern, with up to one-tenth of an inch of ice and around an inch of sleet possible.

The biggest impacts will be travel-related, with slippery roads likely during both the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning commutes.

Further north and west, snow totals will be higher, with several inches possible in parts of central Minnesota.

Officials urge drivers to slow down and check road conditions before traveling.

Here's the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. North northwest wind around 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. East wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: Rain, snow, and sleet before 1am, then sleet, possibly mixed with snow and freezing rain between 1am and 3am, then sleet after 3am. The sleet could be heavy at times. Low around 32. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Thursday: Rain, possibly mixed with sleet, becoming all rain after 7am. High near 38. East northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: A slight chance of rain before 10pm, then a slight chance of snow between 10pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: A chance of rain showers, snow showers, and freezing rain before 1pm, then rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers between 1pm and 2pm, then rain showers likely after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday Nigh: tRain showers before 10pm, then rain and snow showers. Low around 31. North northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday: Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all snow after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 43. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south after midnight.

Monday: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 49. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.