2 to 5 inches on Thursday

While not much snow fell in the metro area Tuesday, a larger dump is still on track to arrive Thursday.

Of course, big is relative, and this year the bar is low.

A paltry 0.8 inches of snow that fell on Nov. 20 stands as the Twin Cities metro area’s single largest snowfall of the season, but not for long. A system moving into the state Thursday will bring 4 to 7 inches of snow, an earlier forecast, across central Minnesota and western Wisconsin Thursday, the National Weather Service said.

“Ho ho ho, the biggest snow of the season is flying its sled our way,” the weather service said in a Wednesday afternoon post on the X.

The National Weather Service warned Thursday’s morning commute would be hazardous with “accumulating snow, gusty winds and reduced visibility.”

Earlier, the National Weather Service noted that the metro was in line to get 2 to 5 inches, with higher amounts on the north and east sides.

A winter storm warning was issued for the Twin Cities as well as west-central Minnesota, including Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes and Moorhead. A separate watch earlier issued along the Lake Superior coast from Duluth to the Canadian border was also in effect, with the area in line to get 4 to 8 inches, the Weather Service said.

“Hazardous travel conditions may develop as a result of the accumulating snow, particularly for the Thursday morning commute when the most stable snow may fall,” the weather service said in a release.