When winter weather is on the way, there are often watches, warnings and advisories issued to help us prepare for what's to come. Here's the difference between them all:
First up, winter storm watch. This alert shows up as blue on our maps and those from the National Weather Service. A winter storm watch is issued as a general advisory for winter weather that's expected within the next one to three days. This gives you a heads up that it's time to prepare.
Next, winter weather advisory, which shows up as purple on our county maps. A winter weather advisory is issued when snow and/or ice is forecast to be an inconvenience or even hazardous, but not a life-threatening event.
More serious is a winter storm warning, which shows up on out maps as pink. A winter storm warning can mean a few different things. the criteria for issuing a winter storm warning is one of the following:
- 4" or more of snow forecast within the next 12 hours.
- 6" or more of snow forecast within the next 24 hours
- 1/4" of ice accumulation
And most intense is a blizzard warning, shown in bright orange on the county maps. A blizzard warning means that snow and wind are forecast to combine for whiteout conditions. In this case, a life-threatening scenario is certainly possible with deep snow drifts and dangerous wind chills. Plan to cancel plans if a blizzard warning is issued for you area. We can typically expect one to two blizzard warnings in Minnesota each year.