Winter Storm Watch for North Beltrami, MN

Issued by The National Weather Service, Fargo/Grand Forks, ND, Thu, Jan 10, 2013, 4:07 AM CST

Other affected areas:

West Polk, MN; Norman, MN; Clay, MN; Roseau, MN; Lake Of The Woods, MN; East Marshall, MN; North Beltrami, MN; Pennington, MN; Red Lake, MN; East Polk, MN; North Clearwater, MN; South Beltrami, MN; Mahnomen, MN; South Clearwater, MN; Hubbard, MN; West Becker, MN; East Becker, MN; Wilkin, MN; West Otter Tail, MN; East Otter Tail, MN; Wadena, MN; Grant, MN; Traill, ND; Cass, ND; Richland, ND

... FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST FRIDAY... ... WINTER STORM WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING.

* RAIN AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO FAR SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TONIGHT... WITH THE FREEZING RAIN THREAT CONTINUING INTO THE DAY ON FRIDAY.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF ONE TO TWO TENTHS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING FROM SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA NORTHEAST INTO THE BAUDETTE AREA AND POINTS SOUTH.

* TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON... WITH PRECIPITATION CHANGING TO ALL SNOW BY FRIDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

* WINDS WILL INCREASE INTO THE 20 TO 25 MPH RANGE WITH HIGHER GUSTS FRIDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM FARGO TO PARK RAPIDS... WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS TO THE SOUTH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS. SLOW DOWN AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

More Information

... MAJOR WINTER STORM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...

.AFTER VERY MILD TEMPERATURES FOR JANUARY FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK... THE PATTERN WILL SHIFT SIGNIFICANTLY TONIGHT AND INTO THE WEEKEND. ONE SYSTEM WILL MOVE FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST... BRINGING FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN INTO FAR SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY. SOME ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE... MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF A COOPERSTOWN TO GRAND FORKS TO HALLOCK LINE. LOCATIONS IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA NEAR DETROIT LAKES AND BEMIDJI COULD SEE ICE ACCUMULATIONS APPROACHING TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH.

MEANWHILE... A LARGE UPPER TROUGH MOVING IN FROM THE WEST WILL HELP BRING SNOW... STARTING IN THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN THURSDAY NIGHT AND SPREADING SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH FRIDAY. BY FRIDAY NIGHT TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE COLD ENOUGH THAT THE ENTIRE AREA SHOULD SEE A CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE HIGHEST ALONG AND NORTH OF A COOPERSTOWN TO GRAND FORKS TO ROSEAU LINE... WHERE 6 TO 9 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION... NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING IN THE NORTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY AND DEVILS LAKE BASIN.

http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/USMN0976?phenomena=WS&significance=A&areaid=MNZ009&office=KFGF&etn=0001