Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Tuesday will be a horrible day to be outside, and definitely a horrible day to be on the road

Note: Roads in the Glenwood area are glare ice as of 9-10pm on Monday night.

The National Weather Service this afternoon issued a blizzard warning beginning Tuesday for portions of west central Minnesota.

Heavy snow and strong winds will affect west central Minnesota and much of central Minnesota on Tuesday.

The Willmar area is in a winter storm warning; areas including Benson, Glenwood, Granite Falls, Madison, Montevideo and Morris are now in a blizzard warning.

The Weather Service says accumulating snow will begin by daybreak Tuesday in west central Minnesota and expand across the state during the day.

Central Minnesota could see a mix of rain and snow in the morning, changing to snow.

Heavy snow will continue through Tuesday evening. Northwest winds will develop in the afternoon, reducing visibility and making travel dangerous.

Blizzard conditions are forecast in west central Minnesota, and the blizzard warning is in effect from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning. Low visibility in blowing and drifting snow is expected to last into Wednesday morning.

Snowfall amounts are expected to range from 5 to 10 inches across much of west central and central Minnesota. Higher snowfall amounts up to a foot are possible from Morris to Alexandria to Little Falls to Onamia.