UPDATE: Three to Nine Inches of Snow Headed Toward Central Minnesota

(KNSI) – The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory, and a winter storm watch for central Minnesota.

Forecasters say the winter weather advisory is posted from midnight tonight until 6 a.m. Friday for the purple shaded area, including Morrison, Stearns, and Kandiyohi Counties. A winter storm watch has been posted for Thursday morning through Friday afternoon for the blue shaded areas, including Benton, Sherburne, and Wright Counties.

The storm will start out with a mix of rain, freezing rain, and snow in western Minnesota before running into cold air moving out of Canada and changing over to all snow. Accumulations of ice, forecasters say, should be minimal, but there may be a light glaze in some areas making for slippery roads.

Our area will see a pause in the action until Thursday afternoon as snow falls through the afternoon and into the evening hours.

As the system moves out, it will pull in gusty northwest winds of over 45 miles an hour, which could make for difficult travel conditions with blowing and drifting snow Thursday night and into Friday. Blizzard conditions could develop out west of Willmar and south into the Mankato area.

Closer to the St. Cloud area in the winter weather advisory, total snow accumulations of three to six inches are expected, with winds gusting at around 50 miles an hour. In the winter storm watch, total accumulations of five to nine inches are possible with winds gusting over 45 miles an hour.