A complex Alberta clipper

A stretched-out Alberta clipper winter storm is tracking across our part of the world this morning. Overnight a few inches of snow fell in much of southwestern Minnesota and then tracked northeast across the metro area.

Today's first pulse of the storm will drop one to four inches in much of Minnesota and then go into a lull until tonight. Then a stronger pulse will move into the state and lay down a band of heavier snow, most likely 4 to 6 inches in eastern Minnesota into western Wisconsin.

Total snowfalls are likely to be 6 to 10 inches from Alexandria to the Iron Range and Duluth and south through the Twin Cities, Rochester, LaCrosse and Eau Claire with some local areas in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin possibly into the 10 to 12 inch mark. The actual total depends on how intense tonight's band is and exactly where it sets up.

Winter Storm Warnings are in effect for a very large region from much of North Dakota across most of Minnesota and also western and southern Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa and then northern Illinois including Chicago tomorrow.

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Here is a summary of the expected event from the National Weather Service Office in Chanhassen:

Roads are slick and crashes have been reported. Click here to check road conditions from MNDOT.

Snowfall already is beginning to lighten up across the metro area, as shown by visibilities climbing above one mile at most airports. So the evening commute might not be too bad, but things should take another snowy turn overnight.

Bill Endersen