The Twin Cities are in for two more record warm days before “a potent storm” will bring heavy snowfall to parts of the Twin Cities area and surrounding communities starting Thursday night and into Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service said Tuesday that the deepest snow totals are in a band stretching from south-central Minnesota, clipping several southeast metro suburbs and continuing into western Wisconsin.

Adding to the reminder that winter is far from done, this week’s record-breaking warmth notwithstanding, “strong winds will accompany this system, along with much colder temperatures,” a statement from the weather service read.

As for the best estimate of just how much snow will fall in the Twin Cities area, NWS meteorologist Eric Ahasic said the range runs from at least 4 inches to possibly a foot, with the south and east metro trending toward the higher amounts.

“This is definitely a potent storm,” Ahasic said. “Four inches to a foot is kind of where we are at now. ... I’m more confident of the higher amounts in the south metro than the north metro.”

More certainty for a wintry wallop is southeastern Minnesota, Ahasic said.

“Rochester is the bull’s-eye for this one,” he said.

In the meantime, the Twin Cities will continue to bask in temperatures topping or hovering around record highs. A high of 61 degrees is forecast for Tuesday afternoon. That would topple the all-time high on a Feb. 21 of 59 set in 1930. The forecast high of 58 Wednesday would nudge off the record books the Feb. 22, 1930, reading of 57.

Then the cool-down rolls in, opening the door for the snow to pile up, with highs forecast by the NWS to be barely above 30 for Thursday, Friday and stretching into the weekend.

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