A winter storm watch has been issued for southern Minnesota ahead of a Friday-Saturday system that the National Weather Service says could bring up to 10 inches of snow to the state.

The watch is in effect for the southern quarter of the state, and while a lot could change between now and when the system arrives Friday evening, the NWS Twin Cities currently estimates Minnesota's southernmost counties could see 6-10 inches of snow.

Cities included in the watch area include Rochester, Mankato, St. Peter, Marshall, Worthington, Albert Lea and Austin.

As of Thursday morning, the Twin Cities is not included in the watch area but it looks like it's on the northern edge of where heavy snow could fall, with the 1-6 inch estimate range suggestive of a sharp gradient of snow over the metro.

The

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