The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning and winter storm warning for the region. A winter storm will cause blizzard conditions and dangerous wind chills Wednesday night through Saturday.

Travelers should make plans to avoid the winter storm.

Wednesday evening through Thursday morning:

• Snowfall will begin Wednesday evening and last through Thursday morning
• New accumulations of 4 to 9 inches is expected across southeast Minnesota
• Roads will become snow covered. Travel will become slow and difficult.

The latest snowfall map can be found through the NWS Winter Weather page.

Thursday morning through Saturday afternoon:

• Snowfall stops, and strong winds pick up
• Sustained winds over 20 mph with gusts to 45 mph will cause drifting
• Blizzard conditions will make it difficult to see and roads could become impassable
• Drifting snow will make it difficult to travel

The latest wind map can be found through the NWS Winter Weather page.

The strong wind and bitter cold will combine to cause wind chills to 45 degrees below zero. Frostbite can occur in as little as 10 minutes and hypothermia is a risk to anyone caught out in the elements. Stranded motorists could be faced with a life-threatening situation.

A detailed forecast can be found at the National Weather Service website.

The storm will impact most of the central U.S. and motorists are encouraged to monitor regional National Weather Service forecasts for the latest information.

If you must travel, www.511mn.org can help you understand the condition of state highways and interstates. 511mn.org has snowplow and traffic cameras, road conditions, and weather alerts. Links to download the app and other state travel sites can be found below under More resources.