Weather Alert: Winter Storm Warning in effect much of the next three days
The Stevens County area is under a Winter Storm Warning until 9 p.m. Thursday, and the warning will continue Friday morning through Saturday morning.
The National Weather Service reports that rain and sleet is changing to snow and will diminish by late evening Thursday. However, heavy snow will resume Friday. Ice, blowing and drifting snow are expected to make travel difficult.
Here's the National Weather Service's latest official weather alert report:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1106 AM CST THU DEC 30 2010
ROUND ONE BRINGING HEAVY SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA WITH RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL
ROUND TWO BRINGING MORE SNOW ESPECIALLY TO WEST CENTRAL AND
CENTRAL MINNESOTA AGAIN FRIDAY
.SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP RAPIDLY LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA FROM CANBY THEN
NORTH TO ALEXANDRIA AND STAPLES. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS BEING
ISSUED FOR THIS AREA UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. BY THIS EVENING SNOW
TOTALS COULD BE IN THE SIX INCH RANGE ALONG WITH INCREASING NORTH
WINDS CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE
REMAINDER OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING. RAIN WILL
CHANGE TO A PERIOD OF SLEET AND THEN SNOW ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF
CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA BY MID AFTERNOON. A BAND OF 2 TO
5 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN AREAS SUCH AS LITTLE FALLS...SAUK
CENTER...WILLMAR AND MONTEVIDEO. THE MIXED PRECIPITATION WILL
CHANGE TO MAINLY SNOW BY LATE AFTERNOON IN MORA...CAMBRIDGE...
HUTCHINSON...AND OLIVIA. ONE TO PERHAPS 3 INCHES OF SNOW MAY
ACCUMULATE BY EVENING IN THESE AREAS.
THE PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH LATE EVENING AS A POCKET OF DRY
AIR BRIEFLY MOVES INTO THE AREA IN ADVANCE OF SECOND MORE POTENT
WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WHICH WILL IMPACT THE REGION FROM FRIDAY
INTO SATURDAY MORNING.
THE SECOND ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER WILL ARRIVE BY EARLY FRIDAY
AFTERNOON AND PERSIST INTO EARLY SATURDAY. A WINTER STORM WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SIGNIFICANT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WITH THIS SECOND WEATHER SYSTEM. COLDER
TEMPERATURES WILL FILTER BACK INTO THE WATCH AREA BEFORE THE BULK
OF THE PRECIPITATION ARRIVES ON FRIDAY... ALTHOUGH SOME LINGERING
LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE COULD OCCUR FRIDAY MORNING BEFORE SNOW
ARRIVES. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON
INTO FRIDAY NIGHT OVER MUCH OF WESTERN MINNESOTA. THERE IS THE
POTENTIAL FOR A SWATH OF SNOW BETWEEN 6 AND 10 INCHES IN THE WATCH
AREA. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW... BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS COULD
CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE ACCUMULATING SNOW
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT FAIRLY QUICKLY SATURDAY MORNING... BUT
WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY.
MNZ041-047-048-055-310115-
DOUGLAS-STEVENS-POPE-SWIFT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALEXANDRIA...MORRIS...GLENWOOD...BENSON
1106 AM CST THU DEC 30 2010
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING
WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9
PM CST THIS EVENING. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT. A WINTER STORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY
MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.
* TIMING...RAIN AND SLEET WILL QUICKLY CHANGE TO HEAVY SNOW IN THE
LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. SNOW WILL DIMINISH BY
LATE EVENING WITH HEAVY SNOW MAKING A RETURN ON FRIDAY.
* MAIN IMPACT...AROUND 6 INCHES OF SNOW AND UP TO A TENTH OF AN
INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE TODAY THROUGH THIS
EVENING. 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH
EARLY SATURDAY... PARTICULARLY NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM APPLETON
TO LONG PRAIRIE.
* OTHER IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND ICE COULD MAKE FOR
DIFFICULT TRAVEL AT TIMES TODAY. ALSO...INCREASING NORTH WINDS
THIS AFTERNOON MAY CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING. GUSTY NORTHWEST
WINDS MAY AGAIN CAUSE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW FRIDAY THROUGH
EARLY SATURDAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF
SNOW...SLEET...AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR
IMPOSSIBLE.
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
