First Winter Storm of the Season Could Slide into St. Michael Tuesday Night

It's not quite the famed "Halloween Blizzard" of 1991, but the first significant snowfall of 2013 could creep into the area Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch beginning Tuesday afternoon and running through late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning. 

Precipitation is in the forecast, so how much snow falls where will depend on air temperatures throughout the day Tuesday. Snow will fall overnight Tuesday night and into Wednesday. 

Fear not, however. Temperatures are expected to rise back into the 40s by the weekend. 

Here's the statement from the National Weather Service: 

WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATION: 4 TO 7 INCHES... WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

* TIMING: RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA FROM THE SOUTH TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH A TRANSITION TO SNOW OCCURRING LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING. THE SNOW WILL TAPER OFF LATE TUESDAY NIGHT OR EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS: THE FIRST HEAVY SNOW OF THE SEASON IS POSSIBLE NEAR THE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTES. IN ADDITION... IT IS LIKELY TO BE A WET SNOW AND ANY TREES WITH LEAVES LEFT ON THEM MAY BE STRESSED... LEADING TO BROKEN TREE LIMBS AND ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET... OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.