It’s shaping up to be a frightful forecast for Halloween across much of Minnesota as rain is likely to change over to snow — possibly heavy at times — from the Twin Cities north to Duluth.
The transition from rain to snow was underway before sunrise in southwest Minnesota, where Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed some accumulation on grassy areas. Roads appeared to be mainly wet, as pavement temperatures remain above freezing.
The changeover will spread north and east. Winter weather advisories go into effect Thursday morning from McLeod, Sibley and Le Sueur counties northeast through most of the Twin Cities metro area and along the Interstate 35 corridor to Pine City, Cloquet and the Twin Ports. Those advisories run through the afternoon.
The National Weather Service said the advisory areas could see 2 to 4 inches of snow with locally higher amounts.
Snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour are possible in some areas. A few embedded thunderstorms are also possible, which could “enhance snow rates further,” the weather service said.
Northwest Wisconsin is also under a winter weather advisory from Thursday morning through Thursday evening.
The rain and snow will be accompanied by gusty winds and falling temperatures. The precipitation is expected to largely end before trick-or-treaters head out Thursday evening.
Find forecast updates on MPR Weather’s Updraft blog.
Here’s how to keep tabs on forecasts, travel conditions and flight updates.
MPR News: Detailed updates from MPR News meteorologists
MPR News: Current weather conditions and radar
National Weather Service: Snowfall reports
Travel conditions
These state transportation departments offer live updates on road conditions and crashes:
Minnesota
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Iowa
For bus and light rail riders in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit offers weather-related updates on its Metro Transit and Metro Transit Alerts X accounts, as well as on its website.
If you’re planning to fly out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport or another airport around the region — or if you are expecting visitors to arrive by plane — airports offer flight status updates online:
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Duluth International Airport
Rochester International Airport
Range Regional Airport
Falls International Airport
Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport
Bemidji Regional Airport
St. Cloud Regional Airport
Thief River Falls Regional Airport
Fargo Hector International Airport
Grand Forks International Airport
Sioux Falls Regional Airport
La Crosse Regional Airport