Storm tracking farther north; Twin Ports in warning area

A winter storm is tracking farther to the north than previously forecast and could dump up to nine inches of snow on Duluth on Saturday, accompanied by 25 mph winds and an arctic blast of cold air.

The storm will make travel potentially hazardous, with near-blizzard conditions across parts of the region Saturday. Computer models are forecasting as much as 20 inches of light, fluffy snow in some areas near the Twin Cities and across northern Wisconsin.

Snow will end late Saturday when wind chills could hit 40 below in some area, with blowing snow still obscuring visibility.

The heaviest area of snow appears to be heading south of the Twin Ports, with central Minnesota, the Twin Cities and northern Wisconsin in the bull’s-eye for Saturday with a broad area of more than a foot of snow.

"Hinckley, down to the Twin Cities and all of Northwestern Wisconsin are going to get whacked with a foot or more," said Mike Stewart, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Duluth. "We're going to be right on the line of the heaviest stuff (in Duluth) but we're not forecasting quite as much here."

Snow will start this evening in southern Minnesota and after midnight in the Twin Ports, said Steve Ghode, observation program leader for the National Weather Service in Duluth. Travel anywhere to the south and east will be treacherous Saturday, Ghode noted, while little or no snow will fall north of the Iron Range.

A winter storm warning is in effect from the Twin Ports south into southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin from midnight tonight to 6 a.m. Sunday. A blizzard watch has been posted for parts of southern Minnesota and Iowa.

High temperatures on Sunday and Monday will struggle to get above zero, with lows bottoming out at 20 below and colder in some areas — nearly 30 degrees below normal. Winds off Lake Superior could spur even more lake-effect snow along the eastern South Shore into next week.

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