Tuesday afternoon forecast

Here’s your Tuesday afternoon forecast for February 21, 2023 from KSTP Meteorologist Matt Serwe.

A Winter Storm WARNING is in effect for the Twin Cities metro, as well as parts of western, central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning.

A Winter Storm WATCH is in effect for most of Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin Wednesday afternoon through Thursday.

A Blizzard WARNING is in effect for southwest Minnesota Wednesday afternoon through Thursday.

Snow is starting in the Twin Cities Tuesday afternoon. This is the first round of snow for the multi-day snow storm. Expect light to steady snow to continue through the evening, overnight, and then slowly wind down early Wednesday morning. Winds will initially be light, but the will pick up overnight. That means blowing and drifting snow is more likely heading into the morning commute. Totals with this first round should be about 3 to 6 inches across most of central and southern Minnesota, through western Wisconsin. There will be a narrow band where 6 to 8 inches of snow is possible, but that is going to be very hard to pin down until later Tuesday evening.

There is a small break between rounds of snow. It might not stop snowing completely, but it will give you a chance to clear round one from your driveway. Round two begins Wednesday afternoon, and it will come down steady to heavy from the start. The first heavy snow band should start sometime from 3:00-5:00 PM Wednesday. When the heavy snow starts, winds will also start gusting around 40 mph. Blizzard conditions are likely from late Wednesday afternoon all the way through Thursday evening.

Snow totals will this second round will range from 10 to 18 inches, putting the totals for the whole storm somewhere between 14 and 24 inches for the southern half of Minnesota through western Wisconsin. Regardless of where your city falls in that range, blizzard conditions will make travel extremely difficult and downright dangerous at times. Interstate closures are likely, and those could potentially happen in the Twin Cities metro. Prepare to stay put Wednesday afternoon through Thursday. If you are an essential worker, try to stay as close as you can to work, and have a winter weather emergency kit in your car. Those who get stranded in this type of a storm might have to wait a long time for a tow or first responders.

A sharp blast of cold follows the snow. Temperatures fall below zero Friday morning, and wind chills could range from -20° to -30° in most of Minnesota. The sun returns this weekend, with more seasonable temperatures by Sunday.