Minnesota’s Weather Authority maintains a Forecast First ALERT as a significant winter storm impacts nearly the entire state tonight. As of this evening, all but six counties in Minnesota are under some form of winter alert, and Winter Storm Warnings now include the entire Twin Cities metro, where 3 to 6 inches of snow and wind gusts up to 45 mph will create blizzard-like conditions at times.
Good Tuesday evening, everyone! If you haven’t started your holiday travel yet, this storm may very well change your plans. A powerful system is moving in tonight, beginning as rain before quickly switching to heavy, wet snow. Road conditions will deteriorate rapidly after sunset, especially in the metro and points west, where snowfall rates could exceed an inch per hour. With winds strong enough to blow that snow around, visibility will drop sharply, even within city limits.
By Wednesday morning, the heaviest snow will have ended, but the impacts will not. Strong winds and temperatures falling into the 20s will create icy roads and lingering blowing snow — a difficult combination for anyone hitting the road early for Thanksgiving. Expect slow-going if you’re traveling across central, western, or southern Minnesota, where conditions will be the most hazardous.
Thanksgiving Day itself looks quiet but cold, with highs only in the 20s. If you’re hosting or traveling locally on Thursday, weather won’t be a major factor — just bundle up.
But the break is brief. Another system arrives Friday night into Saturday, bringing another round of accumulating snow, particularly across southern Minnesota. Anyone planning to return home over the weekend, fly out, or continue their holiday travel should expect potential delays and challenging driving conditions once again.
This is shaping up to be a high-impact travel week — before, during, and after Thanksgiving — and the pattern stays active into next week with bitter cold lingering.
As always, stay tuned to Minnesota’s Weather Authority for changing conditions as our next snowfall arrives.
