Weather service: Two snow events coming, weekend storm could drop 6 inches

WILLMAR — The National Weather Service has issued both a winter storm advisory and a winter storm watch for a large portion of west central and central Minnesota today and into the weekend.

The winter weather advisory is in effect from noon today to midnight and the winter storm watch is in effect from Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. The advised area includes an area from Traverse, Big Stone, Lac qui Parle and Yellow Medicine counties east through the central area of the state, plus the counties along the Minnesota River.

Snow is expected to develop around noon today with 1 to 3 inches falling today, creating slippery conditions on untreated roads.

The second storm could develop into a significant winter storm for part of the area. The storm is expected to develop Saturday evening and taper off by Sunday afternoon. There is potential for more than 6 inches of snow, blowing and drifting and blizzard conditions in open areas.

Citizens planning travel should continue to monitor the latest forecasts, according to the NWS advisory.