(Mankato, MN) – The Mankato area is once again under a winter storm watch as a temperamental storm threatens to dump more snow on the region.

The National Weather Service’s watch is in effect from midnight Sunday to 6 p.m. that evening.  The system promises to deliver a narrow band of “significant snow” to portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Forecasters say this storm has multiple variables that could change its track and impact where the most snow will fall.  Currently, Mankato has a 39 percent chance of receiving 6 inches or more of snow, according to NWS.  Local forecasters are predicting a range of 4 to 8 inches to fall, mainly on Saturday night.

Furthermore, NWS says the storm – expected to arrive late Saturday and continue into Sunday – is “shaping up to be one of the strongest we’ve seen this winter.”  Wind gusts could hit speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, leading to blizzard conditions in open areas.

The storm was initially expected to affect mostly southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin but has been expanded further southwest in Minnesota.  February 2019 is now officially the snowiest February on record since 1962, with snowfall totals varying from 30 – 35 inches for the month locally.