Winter Storm Watch Iowa, Minnesota | Effective 03/12/2026 12:30

...TWO MAJOR WINTER STORMS TONIGHT INTO FRI MORNING AND SAT NIGHT INTO MON MORNING... .The first winter moves through northern Wisconsin tonight into Friday morning bringing snow to areas along and north of US Highway 10 in central Wisconsin with expected amounts rising rapidly north of Wisconsin Highway 29. With wind gusts ramping up overnight to 45 to 50 mph by Friday morning, unsheltered areas will see blowing and drifting snow leading to hazardous driving conditions. Light snow and blowing snow are expected to linger through the morning before winds begin decreasing Friday afternoon. The second winter storm could approach historic levels as a large band of 12 to 18 inches of snow falls across the region with localized amounts up to 24 inches. The main uncertainty in the forecast is exactly where this band sets up with the highest confidence currently from southeast Minnesota to between I-90 and Highway 29 in Wisconsin. There will be a relatively sharp gradient in snow amounts on the southern side of the snow band over northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. In addition to the heavy snow, winds increase Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, with gusts of 35 to 50 mph possible west of the Mississippi River. These winds could lead to widespread blowing and drifting of snow and blizzard conditions, especially west of the Mississippi River. Regardless of exact snow amounts, expect widespread major travel impacts regionwide with some roads possibly becoming impassable. * WHAT...Blizzard conditions possible. Highest total snow accumulations between 12 and 18 inches with localized amounts approaching 24 inches possible. Lesser amounts of 6 to 12 inches of snow possible outside of this band. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. A glaze of ice is also possible if the storm trends further north. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. * WHEN...From Saturday evening through Monday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday morning commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.