A massive spring storm that is bringing blizzard conditions to parts of the Upper Midwest is expected to graze the Northland this weekend as far as snowfall - but will bring strong east winds that could cause flooding along Lake Superior's shore.
The National Weather Service in Duluth has issued a lakeshore flood warning for coastal areas of western Lake Superior because of winds gusting to 45 mph that will whip the big lake into a frenzy.
That happened last October, causing major damage in some areas of Park Point, the South Shore and North Shore and the Apostle Islands. While Lake Superior water levels have dropped some since October, they remain well above normal - adding to any flood potential.
Little snow accumulation is expected from the Twin Ports north, although there's potential for lake effect snow to add up in some areas. But a winter storm watch was posted Friday afternoon for southern counties in the Northland, and places like Hinckley, Hayward and Ironwood could see measurable snow on Saturday.
The southern half of Minnesota and most of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and parts of Wisconsin were under watches or warnings for heavy snow. The Twin Cities were expected to see up to a foot of snow by Sunday, and some computer models were predicting two feet of snow for some parts of southwestern Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, with winds to 50 mph. Much of Interstate 90 in South Dakota was slated to be closed indefinitely as of Friday afternoon because of blizzard conditions.
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Some areas of southern Minnesota were getting severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon, and freezing rain was predicted in others.
