Wags, I think the trick here is all in the timing of the switch from rain to snow, and then where you measure. That first image in the sitrep suggests we in the Bis to Langdon axis of the first storm (before Friday) will see around 12 inches of snow. The ground is still warm and will melt snow as it comes into contact with it, so best chance for the stuff to accumulate more is in grassy areas where the snow gets elevated above the warm'ish ground.
Starting Friday, it's going to be round two of something that is right now a little wider in scope (that should narrow in the forecast as we go forward), but again from Bismarck to Bottineau and all the way to the Red is going to get another serving of water. Don't be surprised, but if this holds together a lot of the same areas will see another 10+ inches of snow. By then it will likely fall on top of a snowpack that has already shrunk due to melting and compaction, so by Sunday those that got two good doses of whiteness will probably have something around 12-18 inches of slop on the ground and a lot of mud underneath it.
Of course, that's just my take on it, but I'm also not a meteorologist...nor do I usually try to interpret the models themselves. It's just based on the NWS forecasts and what I expect to happen to the white stuff after it hits the ground.
- - - Updated - - -
p.s. The NWS is a gov't agency, user friendly features come at quite the cost in details and accuracy.