High Winds, Unseasonably Cold Weather Expected Heading into Easter Weekend

(KNSI) — The thunderstorms that rumbled across central Minnesota Tuesday night are gone, but now comes the cold and the wind.

Wind gusts of 45 to 55 miles an hour are expected over far western Minnesota this afternoon for areas along and west of a line from Alexandria to Glenwood, down to Benson and Granite Falls. A wind advisory has been issued for those areas from 10:00 Wednesday morning to 11:00 Thursday night. High winds are expected to impact central Minnesota, especially Thursday afternoon. The National Weather Service says the St. Cloud area is in line for peak wind gusts of 30 to 40 miles an hour Wednesday but 45 miles an hour Thursday afternoon.

Scattered snow showers will be possible Thursday, with occasional bouts of low visibility resulting from the falling and blowing snow. Snow showers will overspread the area from west to east as cold air wraps around the system. Some snow showers could be intense. However, forecast snowfall continues to trend through central Minnesota.

Meanwhile, for northwestern Minnesota and into North Dakota, up to two feet of snow could fall and be whipped around by 50 mile an hour winds as that area continues to be battered by blizzard conditions. Interstate 94 is closed between Jamestown, North Dakota, and Billings, Montana. Interstate 29 is also closed between Fargo and the Canadian border. Highway 2 is closed from Grand Forks to Devil’s Lake.

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