Winter Storm Watch Issued as Storm Approaches

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for portions of East Central and Southern Minnesota including Wright, Hennepin, Anoka, and Chisago counties form Thursday evening through Friday afternoon -- for heavy snow, strong winds, and blowing snow.

The National Weather Service says this could be the strongest winter storm of the season, bringing 6-12 inches of snow to the Watch area, with amounts over a foot possible. To make matters worse, strong winds of 20-30 mph could gust as high as 40 mph -- causing blowing & drifting snow, poor visibilities, and blizzard conditions.

Both the Friday morning and afternoon commutes are expected to be significantly impacted by this storm.

At this time the forecast for St. Cloud is calling for 5-9" of snow, mainly before noon -- with north winds around 15 mph gusting as high as 30 mph.

Stay tuned as any shift in the storm track could impact snowfall totals significantly.