Storm Update: Heavy snow totals coming in, Hennepin added to winter storm warning

Update for evening hours

Our latest winter/spring storm is progressing on schedule today pretty much as expected. The heaviest part of the storm continues through this evening.

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Snow covered and slick along I-94 northwest of metro in Rogers. MNDOT

Here are some updated headlines and snowfall totals.

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  • Rain-snow line hovering in metro through afternoon rush hours. Snow northwest with rain central and southeast confirmed on Minnesota Department of Transportation cams.

  • Gradual transition from rain to snow as rain-snow line shifts southeast through this evening.

  • Metro core added to winter weather advisories for burst of snow this evening

  • Hennepin County added to winter storm warning.

  • I expect snowfall totals of 6 to 16 inches in the heaviest Minnesota snow bands centered from Willmar, Annandale through Lake Mille Lacs.

  • I expect heavy snow totals of 3 to 6+ inches in north and northwest metro.

  • I expect general snowfall of 1 to 4 inches in the metro urban core (including downtown areas)

  • I expect a coating to 2 inches in the southeast metro communities.

  • Snow should taper off in metro from west to east around midnight.

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Some snow totals so far. Areasr north and west of the metro are getting clobbered with some prolific totals around a foot and increasing.  Latest updated totals available here as they roll in tonight.

  • 2 NW North Branch [Chisago Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports SNOW of 12.20 INCH at 5:50 PM CDT --

  • 6 NNE BIG Lake [Sherburne Co, MN] COCORAHS reports SNOW of 10.50 INCH at 5:40 PM CDT --

  • Monticello [Wright Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports SNOW of 10.70 INCH at 5:38 PM CDT --

  • Annandale [Wright Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports SNOW of 10.00 INCH at 5:10 PM CDT --

  • Onamia [Mille Lacs Co, MN] CO-OP OBSERVERreports SNOW of 13.00 INCH at 4:46 PM CDT --

  • Litchfield [Meeker Co, MN] PUBLIC reports SNOW of 8.00 INCH at 2:56 PM CDT --

  • Maple Plain [Hennepin Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports SNOW of 2.00 INCH at 2:42 PM CDT -- STILL FALLING

  • Olivia [Renville Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports SNOW of 8.00 INCH at 3:51 PM CDT -

  • 1 SSE Willmar [Kandiyohi Co, MN] COCORAHS reports SNOW of 4.80 INCH at 3:54 PM CDT -

  • ST Cloud [Stearns Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports SNOW of 6.00 INCH at 4:00 PM CDT --

  • Little Falls [Morrison Co, MN] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports SNOW of 12.00 INCH at 4:00 PM CDT --

Evening snowburst in and north of metro?

The system may go out with a nice burst of snow as the rain changes over metro wide this evening. Here's the latest mesoscale convective discussion of rates of 1 inch-plus per hour from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.

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NOAA

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0363

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

0325 PM CDT WED APR 16 2014

AREAS AFFECTED...E CENTRAL MN/NWRN WI

CONCERNING...HEAVY SNOW

VALID 162025Z - 170030Z

SUMMARY...HEAVY SNOW -- LOCALLY EXCEEDING AN INCH PER HOUR -- WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

DISCUSSION...LATEST WV IMAGERY SHOWS A STRONG CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER CROSSING THE SUX /SIOUX CITY IA/ VICINITY ATTM...MOVING EWD/ENEWD WITH TIME. AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW IS ANALYZED JUST TO THE NE -- OVER FAR SWRN MN...WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING EWD ACROSS

SRN MN INTO CENTRAL WI. A ZONE OF STRONG QG ASCENT -- IN ADVANCE OF THE UPPER SYSTEM AND N OF THE SURFACE WARM FRONT -- IS SPREADING GRADUALLY EWD ACROSS THE UPPER MS VALLEY AREA...AND IS SUPPORTING AN ARCING BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL FROM SWRN AND CENTRAL MN NEWD INTO NWRN WI PER LATEST RADAR LOOP.

AS THE UPPER SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW ADVANCE INTO THE EVENING HOURS...THE BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IS PROGGED TO PERSIST...SHIFTING GRADUALLY FROM W CENTRAL MN INTO NWRN WI AND THEN LATER INTO WRN UPPER MI. SNOWFALL RATES LOCALLY IN EXCESS OF AN INCH PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE NWRN WI VICINITY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.

As expected the rain snow line hovered right over the Twin Cities most of the day.

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Bottom line: Expect snow to increase this evening and slick roads through tonight across central Minnesota and the Twin Cities.