Snow, Wind To Impact Northern Tier

A clipper system will produce a swath of snow across the northern tier of the U.S. today into Friday.

An area of low pressure will move out of the northern Rockies today and over the northern Plains on Thursday, producing snow as it moves eastward. Snow will continue to spread eastward into the Great Lakes Thursday afternoon and continue into Friday morning. 

A swath of 2 to 5 inches of snow with locally up to 8 inches is expected across portions of northeastern Montana through Minnesota, northern Iowa, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and Michigan. This includes cities such as Fargo, N.D., Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit.

Winter Storm Watches have been issued across portions of North Dakota into northwestern Minnesota. 

In addition to the snow, gusty winds are expected to accompany this clipper system. High Wind Watches and Warnings are in place across much of Montana into southwestern North Dakota, north-central South Dakota, and parts of Wyoming. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph will be possible today into Thursday, with localized wind gusts as high as 70 mph. 

As the system moves into the Great Lakes later Thursday into Friday, it will begin to weaken. As a result, wind gusts won't be as strong as places further to the west but still may gust upwards of 30 to 40 mph across Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago.

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of emergency. Be sure to have multiple ways to get the latest weather information from local TV, weather radio, or the WeatherBug app. With bitterly cold air in place, it is the time to check on the elderly, keep pets inside and dress in as many layers as possible to avoid hypothermia.