Another day and another update from the National Weather Service (NWS) on the post-Christmas winter storm expected to impact Minnesota this week.

Generally, we're talking about a Wednesday-Friday snowstorm but most of Minnesota won't see any impacts until Thursday at the earliest, with the bulk of the snow falling Thursday night into Friday.

The only real change from Saturday's forecast is that confidence has increased to the point that NWS meteorologists now say there is a "very high" chance of heavy snowfall impacting southwest Minnesota to the northeast through St. Cloud.

The Twin Cities is still in a high confidence zone for heavy snowfall, but these areas of confidence could shift over the next few days before the low-pressure system exits the Four Corners region and spins toward the Upper Midwest.

National Weather Service - Twin Cities

"The best chance for heavy accumulations still appear to be from southwestern Minnesota to northwest Wisconsin where totals could exceed 12 inches," says the Sunday morning forecast discussion from the NWS Twin Cities.

Temperatures are going to be warm enough in parts of southern Minnesota to bring rain, or a rain/snow mix, which would decrease snowfall totals. It's just too early to pinpoint where that rain/snow line will be.

Strong winds are also expected with this winter storm, so blowing snow will create even more difficult travel conditions, especially in open areas of rural Minnesota where whiteout conditions will be possible.

Once the snowstorm pushes through, much colder air will be in place with highs in the teens through New Year's Day.

Some Christmas snow?

A disturbance could bring a coating of snow to central and southern Minnesota on Christmas, which would be one heckuva gift from Mother Nature considering all of the open grass across the southern two-thirds of the state right now.