UPDATE: Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County Now Under Winter Storm Warning

Follow Inver Grove Heights Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter

UPDATE: 7:15 P.M.—Inver Grove Heights and Dakota County now is under a winter storm warning.

Here is the latest advisory from the National Weather Service:

...MAJOR WINTER STORM BEARING DOWN ON THE UPPER MIDWEST TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...

...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN MINNESOTA SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

.A POWERFUL WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO ORGANIZE ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND WILL BEGIN AFFECTING WESTERN MINNESOTA THIS EVENING...AND EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK FROM ABOUT NEW ULM TO ROCHESTER ON SUNDAY WHICH IS A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH THAN EARLIER ANTICIPATED. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED AHEAD AND NORTH OF THIS LOW TRACK TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.

BECAUSE COMPUTER MODELS HAVE SHIFTED SOUTH WITH THE TRACK OF THE LOW...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE ALSO SHIFTED SOUTH. WINTER STORM WARNINGS ARE NOW IN EFFECT NORTH OF A LINE FROM REDWOOD FALLS...TO RED WING MINNESOTA...AND EAU CLAIRE WISCONSIN TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 9 INCHES...WITH THE HEAVIEST TOTALS NORTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 94.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED SOUTH OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING DOWN TO THE IOWA BORDER TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS HERE WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES.

BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA SUNDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE TAPERING OFF GRADUALLY SUNDAY EVENING. SOME GUSTS MAY EXCEED 40 TO 45 MPH. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL RESULT IN WHITEOUT CONDITIONS MAKING TRAVEL NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...A BLIZZARD WARNING WILL REPLACE THE WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM SUNDAY THROUGH MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT WEST OF A LINE FROM MANKATO TO ALEXANDRIA. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ARE ALSO EXPECTED FURTHER EAST...BUT LIGHTER WINDS PRECLUDE THE ISSUANCE OF A BLIZZARD WARNING AT THIS TIME.

TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET BEHIND THE SYSTEM TO WELL BELOW ZERO LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA WITH WIND CHILL READINGS AS LOW AS 20 TO 30 BELOW. DO NOT TRAVEL. SHOULD YOUR VEHICLE GET STUCK...YOUR LIFE WILL BE AT RISK.

Patch will keep you updated on the latest weather advisories and warnings.

_____________________________

ORIGINAL STORY:More snow appears to be on the way.

After an inch or so of snow played havoc with Friday afternoon’s rush hour and Friday night’s traveling, Inver Grove Heights is expected to receive three to five inches more between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Dakota County from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday.

Here is the text of the advisory:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT CST SUNDAY NIGHT. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

• TIMING...SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA BY SATURDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

•  MAIN IMPACT...3 TO 5 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

• OTHER IMPACTS...AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO  25 MPH AND GUSTS APPROACHING 35 MPH. THE BLOWING SNOW WILL SUBSIDE LATE SUNDAY EVENING AS WINDS BEGIN TO DIMINISH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM ADVISORY FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. LIGHT TO MODERATE AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Here is the text of the hazardous weather outlook that also was issued by the weather service:

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

• DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER STORM ADVISORY ARE IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER STATEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

• DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
A WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA INTO SUNDAY EVENING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER STATEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP ON SUNDAY...ESPECIALLY IN WEST CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...BEHIND THE PASSAGE OF A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG OUT OF THE NORTHWEST...AND THE OCCURRENCE OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH SNOW HAS FALLEN THIS AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY. SUNDAY NIGHT WIND CHILL VALUES IN MINNESOTA WILL VARY FROM NEGATIVE TEN TO NEGATIVE 25 DEGREES... WITH WIND CHILLS RETREATING INTO THE ZERO TO TEN BELOW RANGE IN WISCONSIN.

Click here for the updated forecast for Dakota County.

Planning to take photos of the snowfall this weekend? Submit your shots to Inver Grove Heights Patch by adding them to our community gallery.