LIVE UPDATES | Minnesota weather: Light snow leaves slick roads ahead of winter storm

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Some Minnesota drivers are facing slick roads Tuesday morning after light snow created challenging conditions ahead of an incoming winter storm.

A winter storm could bring heavy snow, a wintry mix and rain to Minnesota. The heaviest precipitation is expected to happen late Tuesday into Tuesday evening. Here's what to expect from Tuesday's storm.

Live updates:

FOX 9 will be live with the latest on the winter storm all day on Tuesday, until 10:30 p.m. and we'll be on early on FOX LOCAL starting at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. Watch live in the player above.

7 a.m. – Slick road conditions for morning commute

MN weather: Tracking slick road conditions Tuesday [6:30 a.m. update]

A light snowfall overnight is causing some slick road conditions Tuesday morning ahead of incoming winter storm. FOX 9’s Se Kwon reports on the latest road conditions in Sauk Centre.

As of 7 a.m. the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) reports varying road conditions, with some highways covered in snow, slush, ice, or frost while others remain mostly clear. 

A few crashes have been reported in both the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota, though traffic delays have been limited so far. 

Road conditions will likely worsen for the evening commute as a snowy to wintry mix arrives in the Twin Cities metro. Lingering snow and gusty winds could also make for a challenging Wednesday morning commute. 

What to expect with Tuesday's storm

Timeline:

Here's a timeline of what to expect from Tuesday's storm: 

• Tuesday morning: Quiet but a little misty and foggy, with temperatures in the mid-20s for the Twin Cities metro.
• Tuesday afternoon, between noon-6 p.m.: Snow to wintry mix; 1-3 inches of accumulation possible. Snow will move in, and mixes with sleet into the evening. Expect a messy evening commute.
• Tuesday evening, 6 p.m. to midnight: Rainy mix to snow; about an inch of accumulation possible. Temperatures thaw, and we dance with the rain-snow line. The high by about 9 p.m. Tuesday will be around 34 degrees.
• Wednesday morning, between midnight and 9 a.m.: It'll be gusty as snow wraps up; about an inch of accumulation possible. Temperatures fall as cold winds gust to 45-plus mph.

Winter storm warning in effect

Weather alerts:

A winter storm warning is in effect for an area north of Interstate 94, which is where the highest snow totals are expected, with 5-plus inches of snow likely. 

Along and just south of I-94 is under a winter weather advisory, where there could be a snow, sleet, ice, rain combination. This could have an impact on travel, especially later Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, southern Minnesota is under a winter storm watch, which could see a light mix to mostly rain, but it'll be very windy, which could lead to a possible ground blizzard. 

How much snow is expected? 

By the numbers:

The winter storm warning area could see 4–7 inches of snow by Wednesday morning. However, south of Interstate 94 will see far less accumulation, with 1–4 inches of snow possible in the Twin Cities metro and in southern Minnesota about an inch of winter mix of snow, sleet, rain and ice is possible. 

Stay Sky Aware with the FOX 9 Weather App. Whether you are staying in one place or traveling, have your GPS locator on and your notifications turned on. If you drive into a warning, you will get an alert specific to where you are.