Brace Yourself: Big Swath Of Minnesota Could See Up To A Foot Of Snow

Winter isn't quite ready to give up on Minnesota yet.

UPDATE: Winter storm warnings have been issued for nearly 30 Minnesota counties. Tap here to see the latest on this winter storm.

The following information is now out of date. See the link above for the updated winter storm warning.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for roughly two-thirds of Minnesota ahead of a weather event that could bring significant snow through the first few days of April.

Here's the latest on what to expect.

Where and when will this round of snow fall in Minnesota?

The details from the winter storm watch anticipate snow ramping up in western portions of Minnesota in places like Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, and Bemidji, and into Central Minnesota in places like Little Falls, St. Cloud, and Brainerd on Tuesday afternoon (April 1).

Things will spread eastward, with snow expected to start in the evening hours of Tuesday in eastern portions of Minnesota, in areas like Duluth, the Iron Range, and North Shore.

How much snow is expected across Minnesota?

A widespread swath of heavy snow is expected across the northern two-thirds of Minnesota, with the National Weather Service saying there's a 70% + chance of 6 or more inches of snow across much of the region currently under a winter storm watch.

Read More: What is REALLY Minnesota's snowiest month of the year?

Looking at the first round of forecasted totals, between 7 and 11 inches are possible across a sizable chunk of Northern and Western Minnesota, including cities like Fergus Falls, Alexandria, Brainerd, Aitkin, Grand Rapids, and Duluth - all areas noted in the second-darkest shade of orange in the map below.

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Some pockets of heavier snow in areas like just west of the Brainerd Lakes area and along the North Shore could see snow in excess of a foot by Thursday morning. Those areas are marked in the darkest shade of orange on the map below.

The areas in Central Minnesota shaded in this darkest orange hue - towns like Sebeka and just north of Motley - could see just over a foot of snow. Meanwhile, the heaviest snow totals are expected in the Minnesota Arrowhead.

Some places in higher elevations in the far northern parts of the North Shore could see 13-16 inches of snow by Thursday morning.