Sleet fell on Albert Lea on Monday afternoon, and already there is a major freeway collision.

The truck collided with a Mazda on Interstate 35 near the Clarks Grove exit. The woman driver of the car could not get out, and rescue crews had to extricate her.

A Tribune writer witnessed the scene at 5 p.m. Lights from law enforcement cars, ambulances and tow trucks could be seen from a half-mile away through the sleet-stricken windshield into the dark evening. Traffic in the northbound and southbound lanes narrowed to one lane each.

The semitrailer could be seen straight across the median, lit up by the red and blue lights like a billboard. The compact car was in the median, with the front end mangled. The rear seemed in OK condition. The car was a Mazda sedan.

Rescue personnel surrounded the car nearly on all sides in an attempt to extricate the driver. An Albert Lea Medical Center ambulance and its crew was immediately nearby on the south lanes ready to transport.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the region at 1:43 p.m. Monday. “The snow is expected to become heavy over parts of southern Minnesota this evening,” the warning states.

People in Albert Lea were busy Monday afternoon figuring out what they had to do before the first major snowstorm of the season strikes southern Minnesota.

Through most of the afternoon sleet was falling on Albert Lea. Cars traveled the sleet-covered streets slowly and carefully as people altered their plans. Many people were heading to the grocery stores to buy food for their shelves at home before the storm hit. Others were heading to the schools to pick up children, saving them from trips on the school buses. There was a long backup of automobiles on southbound Bridge Avenue because one sedan had stalled at the intersection with Richway Drive. Drivers were slow to figure out it was stalled but they were also cautious in going around the car.

The winter storm warning says the heavy snow will become blowing snow because winds were expected to increase this evening — which has since been the case. The National Weather Service forecasts between 4 and 8 inches of snow for Albert Lea tonight.

The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva boys’ basketball game at Fairmont has been canceled. The United South Central girls’ basketball game at Maple River is on schedule.

So far, no classes for Tuesday have been canceled. Albert Lea posts its school cancelations on its Web site.