MINNEAPOLIS — A winter weather advisory has been issued for most of the Twin Cities metro area Thursday, with up to 3 inches of accumulating wet, slushy snow possible.

“As colder air begins to move in this morning, the rain will transition to heavy snow from west to east with snowfall rates of an inch per hour at times into early afternoon,” the NWS said.

“Total accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are likely in a narrow band from just north of Mankato through most of the Twin Cities metro area, to northwest Wisconsin. Locally higher totals are possible if the heaviest bands remain nearly stationary.”

Expect northwest winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts as high as 30 or 35 mph, further deteriorating travel conditions. Temps will drop into the low 30s and upper 20s just in time for trick or treating.

Here’s the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Thursday: Rain and snow before 4pm, then a chance of rain. The rain and snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. High near 39. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 31. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Light south southeast wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. South southeast wind around 10 mph.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of rain before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. South southwest wind around 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Rain likely after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Rain likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday Night: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 51. Southeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 64. Southeast wind around 10 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday Night: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 1am, then rain likely. Low around 46. West southwest wind around 10 mph becoming north northwest in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: Rain likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 55. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. West wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 51. West wind 10 to 15 mph

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – When Mary Tyler Moore tossed her hat in the air on Nicollet Mall in her show’s opening credits in the 70s, the mall was in its heyday as a regional shopping destination.

Now city leaders believe reinvigorating the mall will be key to revitalizing downtown Minneapolis.

Nicollet Mall proposed plans

“A place of pedestrian activity where you walk down the street and there’s a thousand different tastes and smells and sounds and people all packed in on one block,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, during a Monday press conference to announce a new action plan for downtown.

Among other things, the Downtown Action Plan calls for turning Nicollet Mall into a pedestrian-only zone with Metro Transit rerouting buses from that street.

Some city boosters would also like to remove the U.S. Post Office building along the Mississippi River, so the city can connect the mall to the riverfront.

“So the U.S. Post Office, I commit to getting them to see the wisdom of taking down that butt ugly parking ramp that’s going to block the river from Nicollet Mall. I’m sure we can find a compromise,” said Minneapolis City Council member Michael Rainville at that same press conference.

In the last decade, the city has spent $50 million on adding LED lighting, 250 trees and new paving to the 12 block stretch of downtown.
So would another Nicollet Mall makeover actually entice more people to visit it?

What they’re saying

“It’s interesting. The pedestrianization idea has been around for quite a few years. Now it’s a believe it when I see this type of thing,” said Brit’s Pub general manager Shane Higgins.

Higgins says making Nicollet Mall pedestrian only would be good for businesses on the mall, as long as there is programming like farmer’s markets or food trucks, along with a strong police presence to make visitors feel safe.

“So parades, concerts, any activity where you can get the word out to bring people down,” said Higgins.