Feeling Better About 4-8" (most south/west metro)

* Travel conditions getting worse out there - we are about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through the storm.

* Travel will get worse before it improves during the day Saturday.

* Totals may be closer to 4-8" range for much of the metro (6-8" southern and western suburbs).

* Bright sun Sunday, coldest day since Feb. 1.

Snowfall So Far. As of 6 pm Hutch had already picked up 6.5", 5" at Mankato, 2" Chanhassen and 1.5" at St. Paul and St. Cloud. The storm is about 1/3rd over.

On Track For A Cool Half Foot? Yes, it still looks "plowable", at least 3-6" for much of the metro area, but I'm feeling even more confident that we'll see enough snow to shovel and plow. I'm also a bit more confident that the southern and western suburbs may pick up as much as 8" of snow.

Doppler Radar: 6:30  pm. The heaviest snow bands are setting up over the western and southern suburbs - which stand the greatest chance of picking up 6-8" by Saturday afternoon. Snow will continue to pick up in intensity through the nighttime hours, falling at the rate of 1" every 2 or 3 hours by tonight.

 Feeling More Confident about 6-8". The latest WRF model prints out .46", with a 15/1 ratio that should equal about 6" (or more) of snow by Saturday afternoon. Winds will be light Saturday, meaning minimal blowing and drifting. But highways will be very slippery, especially AM hours.

More Numbers. The latest GFS model prints out .36", which equates to 5 or 6". Everything is leading us to believe that this will be a 4-7" snowfall, less north/east, more south/west.

Gridlock. Google Traffic as of 6:30 showed near parking lot conditions, especially 494, Highway 100, Crosstown and I-94 between Ridgedale and St. Paul. Other than that - lovely out there! This might be a good night to avoid the freeways at all costs. To see the latest traffic map click here.