Winter Storm Warning Issued for Twin Cities Metro and Central Minnesota
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A major winter storm is forecast to bring 10 to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph to central Minnesota starting Saturday night.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Winter Storm Warning
- Affected area
- Central Minnesota
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Twin Cities
Storm notices can cover different combinations of wind, hail, lightning, and rainfall. Use the original notice for the hazards and boundaries attached to this specific record.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Central Minnesota.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen has issued a Winter Storm Warning for a powerful weather system expected to bring extreme snow accumulations and blizzard conditions to the region. The alert is classified as a severe threat with likely certainty.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several counties in central Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including:
- Stearns
- Sherburne
- Wright
- Hennepin
- Anoka
- Ramsey
- Washington
- Carver
What You Should Do
Residents are advised that travel may become very difficult to impossible starting late Saturday night. If you must travel, the NWS recommends keeping an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle for emergencies. For the latest road conditions, call 5-1-1 or visit 511mn.org. Additionally, the heavy, wet nature of the snow poses a health hazard for those shoveling and may cause infrastructure damage.
Expected Conditions
- Snowfall: Total accumulations between 10 and 18 inches are expected. Some areas may see rates of 2 inches per hour on Saturday night.
- Wind: Northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph will shift to the northwest on Sunday, with gusts reaching 35 to 45 mph.
- Visibility: Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility, creating periods of blizzard conditions on Sunday.
- Snow Type: The snow will be wet and very heavy due to high water content.
Timeline
The Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 7:00 PM CDT Saturday, March 14, through 7:00 AM CDT Monday, March 16. The heaviest snowfall is expected Saturday evening and overnight, with hazardous conditions impacting the Monday morning commute.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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