Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Parts of Southern Minnesota

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for portions of southern Minnesota, in effect from midnight tonight through 3:00 am Friday morning -- when 3 to 5 inches of accumulation is expected.

A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the Twins Cities metro and points north, where the forecast is calling for 4 to 7 inches of accumulation.

To add insult to injury, winds are expected to gust as high as 30 mph during the day Thursday which could produce blowing snow conditions, reducing visibility and worsening hazardous travel conditions due to the falling snow.

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Southern Minnesota counties included in the Winter Weather Advisory are Sibley, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Rice, Goodhue, Wabasha, Olmsted, Winona, and Houston.

Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning and evening commutes. Slow down and use caution while traveling. Call 5-1-1 or visit 511mn.org for road conditions. This is your Minnesota winter travel must have app, with the latest road conditions, plow cams, accident reports, and more.

Some of the newest features include:

• Personalize your 511, where you can enter up to 20 routes that you travel regularly.
• Smart 511, where you sign-up online and then enter your phone number to get information sent to you.

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• Citizen Reporting, where you can submit driving conditions where you are.
• Traffic delay, which shows if there are any delays on your route due to a crash, construction, other incidents.
• Plow Cams, where you can see what the plow drivers are seeing.

MnDOT Adds this regarding snow plow safety:

Snowplows travel much slower than the posted speeds because it is most effective for clearing roads. The driver’s field of vision is severely restricted behind the truck, and the driver must rely on mirrors to see to the rear and side of the truck.

Be patient, and remember snowplows are working to improve road conditions for your trip. Stay back at least 10 car lengths between your vehicle and a plow.