Major Winter Storm Shifts South, Sparing Twin Cities Metro: MN Weather

TWIN CITIES, MN — A powerful winter storm that was initially expected to bring heavy snow to the Twin Cities metro area has taken a sudden shift south, significantly reducing expected snowfall amounts for the region.

The National Weather Service has adjusted warnings accordingly, with a blizzard warning now downgraded to a winter weather advisory for several counties.

Key changes to the forecast:

• The narrow band of heavier snow has moved south, tightening the snow gradient.
• Blizzard warning replaced with a winter weather advisory for Le Sueur, Nicollet, Brown, Watonwan, Rice, and Goodhue counties.
• Areas south and east of these counties remain under a blizzard warning, where whiteout conditions are still possible due to heavy snow and strong winds.
• Pepin and Eau Claire counties in Wisconsin have had their winter storm watch upgraded to a winter storm warning.

Here's the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Northeast wind around 15 mph.

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Wednesday: Snow likely, mainly between 7am and 4pm. Patchy blowing snow between 8am and noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 25. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. South wind around 10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. North northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 42. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain before 11pm, then rain and snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Rain and snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. Southeast wind around 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.