Soaking rain possibly changing to snow Saturday in Minnesota

Mother Nature will do its part to help keep Minnesotans from going anywhere during the first day of Gov. Tim Walz's stay-at-home order as plenty of rain and maybe even some snow will make Saturday a washout. 

"Rain will overspread the area today, then transition to snow tonight. Snow could be locally heavy at times," says the Twin Cities office of the National Weather Service, noting that a winter weather advisory is in effect for a number of counties, including Hennepin County. 

"A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for a portion of the area from this evening into Sunday morning. Rain will change to snow tonight, and will be locally heavy at times. Accumulations from 1” to locally 5” are possible," the weather service said. 

Here's a look at where the heaviest rain and snow accumulations are expected. 

The biggest factor in how much snow accumulates is how soon the rain changes over to snow. That's a wild card and fairly unpredictable, so there's a chance that some Minnesotans could wake up Sunday morning to a fresh coat of snow, perhaps even enough to plow in some areas. 

Check out the radar simulation, which shows rain changing over to snow around midnight. If it happens earlier, it could me more snow for some. 

It'll also be windy with gusts upwards of 40 mph in the open areas of Minnesota. Winds will remain strong overnight, so that coupled with slick roads from mixed precipitation or heavy, wet snow could make road conditions hazardous.