UPDATED: Winter Storm Warning Issued for Northfield

UPDATED: 4 p.m. Wednesday

The National Weather Service has updated predictions and now up to 4 inches of snow could fall in Northfield on Wednesday night with up to 1 inch of snowfall on Thursday.

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With the track of an impending storm shifting, Northfield is now included in a winter starm warning that takes effect at 9 p.m. Wednesday and expires 6 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service predicts up to 3 inches of snow could fall in Northfield through Thursday afternoon. Projected totals are higher to the south.

But snow isn't the only concern. 

The wind will pickup speeds overnight with gusts as high as 30 mph predicted for Thursday, creating visibliity issues with blowing snow. Then the cold hits. Wind chill values are expected to dip as low as minus 8 degrees.

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Here's more from the NWS:

...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW IS EXPECTED IN FAR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... .A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR PORTIONS OF FAR SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA ALONG WITH PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

THE WARNING INCLUDES AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM RED WING TO FARIBAULT TO WASECA TO FAIRMONT IN MINNESOTA...AND ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CORNELL TO ELLSWORTH IN WISCONSIN. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES IMMEDIATELY NORTH AND WEST OF THE WARNING AREA. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS NEBRASKA AND NORTHERN IOWA THIS AFTERNOON...AND BEGIN TO SPREAD NORTH AND NORTHEAST ACROSS THE MINNESOTA BORDER BY SUNSET.

THE AREA OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN OVERNIGHT. SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA...WITH A FEW INCHES IN THE ADVISORY AREA. ALTHOUGH THE CURRENT TRACK OF THIS STORM TAKES THE BULK OF THE HEAVY SNOW ACROSS IOWA AND WISCONSIN...THERE HAS BEEN A SLIGHT SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST ON THE MORNING MODEL RUNS.

THEREFORE... SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY INCREASED AND ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE AS FAR NORTH AS THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN SUBURBS OF THE TWIN CITIES.

IN ADDITION...STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS FROM 15 TO 30 MPH ALONG WITH GUSTS IN THE 30 TO 40 MPH RANGE ARE POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD LIKELY RESULT IN CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA WHERE THERE IS A WINTER STORM WARNING.

IN ADDITION...SEVERAL INCHES OF FRESH SNOW FELL ACROSS THE WARNING AREA TUESDAY MORNING WHICH MAY ALSO BE PICKED UP BY THE STRONG WINDS. MNZ077-084-WIZ024-025-027-200200- /O.EXA.KMPX.WS.W.0003.121220T0300Z-121221T0000Z/ RICE-WASECA-PIERCE-DUNN-CHIPPEWA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FARIBAULT...WASECA...RIVER FALLS... PRESCOTT...MENOMONIE...BOYCEVILLE...CHIPPEWA FALLS...BLOOMER 1159 AM CST WED DEC 19 2012 ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY.

* TIMING...LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND INCREASE IN INTENSITY BY THIS EVENING. STRONG WINDS WILL FOLLOW THURSDAY MORNING.

* IMPACTS...3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS REACHING 35 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY AS WELL.

* MAIN IMPACT...TRAVEL ALONG I-90 AND OTHER RURAL ROADS MAY BECOME DIFFICULT WHEN THE WINDS INCREASE AND VISIBILITY DROPS. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS ON THURSDAY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS THAT VISIBILITIES WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO A COMBINATION OF FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW. USE CAUTION WHEN TRAVELING...ESPECIALLY IN OPEN AREAS.