Nature's New Year's Eve Party Mix on Tap for Friday

As of Thursday evening at 7 p.m., the consensus prediction for Friday’s winter “event” is substantially unchanged, which is to say that a small amount of freezing rain and sleet will change to snow. FOX and KARE call for no more than an inch while MPR is on the high end with 1-4 inches of snow possible. Will provide one last forecaster update tomorrow morning with grades to follow by Saturday morning. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook to receive an alert when the grades come out.

WCCO: “We’ll have a ‘phase change’ tomorrow. Maybe an inch or two when it’s done on Saturday morning.”

KSTP: 1-3 inches of snow/sleet

FOX: Not much more than a dusting to an inch when we get through with snow on Sat a.m.

KARE: Up to an inch of sleet and snow

MPR: A glancing blow that could produce one to four inches of snow Friday into Friday evening for the metro.

NWS: Winter weather advisory issued. Snow and sleet accumulation up to one inch. Ice accumulation around one tenth of an inch.

Star Tribune: MSP metro: 1" of ice (sleet/freezing rain), then 1" of snow Friday night.

Sleet Seems to be the Word for Friday

Summary recap as of 9 a.m. on Thursday.This appears to be a particularly challenging forecast for the ensemble given questions regarding the type of precipitation and the timing of a changeover to sleet and snow. KSTP (channel 5) is now the most bullish on snow totals with a forecast of 3 to 5 inches (most in the west metro). Others generally call for an inch or two of sleet and snow. If you'd like to receive tweets on the sleet, follow us on Twitter.

WCCO: About an inch with some sleet

KSTP: 3-5 inches, highest west metro

FOX: Not much in the metro. Could be an inch or two and much of that would be sleet.

KARE: 1-3 inches

Star Tribune: MSP Metro: 1" of ice (sleet/freezing rain), then 1-2" of snow Friday night

MPR: “The track of the second low over the Twin Cities on New Year's Eve places the heaviest snow into west central Minnesota.” Snow/sleet indicated for Twin Cities but no specifics on accumulation

NWS: Sleet accumulation up to 1 inch. Ice accumulation around one tenth of an inch.