KARE 11 Weather Alert: Minnesota Faces 12+ Inches of Snow – See Your City’s Hour-by-Hour Forecast

An intense late-season storm is bearing down on Minnesota, and the KARE 11 weather team says it could deliver the heaviest snowfall totals of the year to the Twin Cities this weekend. According to the latest KARE 11 weather forecast, snow will begin Saturday evening as a band of moisture rides northward along a strengthening low-pressure system. Meteorologists Belinda Jensen and Ben Dery expect the snow to intensify overnight, with rates topping 1–2 inches an hour at times. By Sunday morning, much of central and southern Minnesota—including Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the I-94 corridor—could be digging out from 6–12 inches, while localized pockets may eclipse a foot where narrow heavy-snow bands stall. The National Weather Service has already posted a Winter Storm Watch for the metro and surrounding counties, warning of near-whiteout conditions when winds gust 30–40 mph on Sunday. Travel will become hazardous quickly after sunset Saturday; KARE 11 advises delaying weekend plans or leaving early to avoid treacherous roads. Plow crews and MnDOT say they are pre-treating highways but note that salt loses effectiveness once temperatures slip into the upper teens expected overnight. Northern Minnesota will spend more time on the colder side of the storm, so snowfall there should be lighter—generally 3–6 inches from Brainerd to Duluth—but blowing and drifting snow could still snarl travel on open stretches of Highway 169 and U.S. 53. Far southeastern counties may mix with sleet or freezing rain before a colder northwest wind flips precipitation back to heavy snow Sunday morning. The storm’s reach doesn’t end with the snow. Behind the front, a sharp temperature plunge will drop wind chills below zero by Monday dawn. Burst pipes and icy refreeze on secondary roads are possible as skies clear and overnight lows crater into the single digits. While the upcoming punch looks fierce, it’s only the first in a one–two combo. Long-range models show another moisture-laden disturbance sliding in late Tuesday, capable of slapping an additional 2–4 inches onto fresh snowpack. That means any shoveling tomorrow will double as vital snow-bank management before round two arrives. How to stay ahead of the storm: • Enable severe weather alerts in the free KARE 11 app for up-to-the-minute radar and push notifications. • Keep a winter emergency kit—blankets, jumper cables, snacks, and phone chargers—in your car if you must travel. • Clear snow from furnace vents and fire-hydrant areas as soon as it’s safe to prevent carbon-monoxide buildup and aid first responders. KARE 11 will stream live on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, YouTube, and kare11.com throughout the storm. For real-time road conditions, tune in to Sunrise starting at 5 a.m. Saturday, then check back during evening newscasts for updated snowfall maps and timing. With the largest March snowmaker in years on the doorstep, staying connected to the KARE 11 weather forecast could be the difference between a stress-free weekend and a white-knuckle drive home.