First Real Winter Storm on the Way

The National Weather Service in Chanhassen has issued a winter storm warning in effect from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon.

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Weather service forecasters believe as many as six inches of snow could fall on Minneapolis over Saturday and Sunday. Windy conditions may lead to blowing and drifting snow and "near-blizzard" conditions in open areas, forecasters say.

Forecasters are also calling for one to three inches of snow accumulation on Friday afternoon and evening.

The snow expected this weekend will be followed by cold air system, according to the weather service. Wind chills of 15 to 20 degrees below zero are likely across much of central and western Minnesota Sunday night and Monday.

First-time Minneapolis residents should make sure keep an ear out for snow emergency declarations if you don't want to have to bail your car out of the city impound lot. Once the city declares a snow emergency, many local news outlets—including Patch—will post the information. Alternately, you can check the City of Minneapolis website, or sign up for the city's snow emergency email or text-message alerts.

When a snow emergency is in effect, special parking restrictions apply. More information about parking restrictions is available from these iPhone and Android aps, the city's online parking rules lookup tool, and from this guide published by the City of Minneapolis.

Planning to take photos of the snowfall this weekend? Submit your shots to Southwest Minneapolis Patch by adding them to our community gallery.