Blizzard Warning For Rochester Area Has Expired

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The National Weather Service this afternoon shortened the duration of the Blizzard Warning issued for portions of southeastern Minnesota.

The warning is now set to expire at 7 PM instead of the previous 11 PM. Gusty north winds and snow have made travel treacherous in many parts of the region since mid-morning. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the most difficult travel conditions have been in areas south, west, and east of Rochester where major roadways have been completely covered by snow and visibility limited by blowing snow.

There have been numerous reports of vehicle crashes and the spin outs in southeastern Minnesota. The State Patrol has yet to provide any totals concerning storm-related crashes, but at least one person was injured in a collision involving two semi-trucks on I-35 in Freeborn County this morning.

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The reported wind gusts have been in the range that were predicted by forecasters. Preston was visited by a 53 mile-per-hour gust around 2 PM, a 50 mile-per-hour gust was reported that Byron around 11 AM and the Rochester Airport recorded a 47 mile-per-hour gust around 9 AM.

So far, the snowfall reports have not been as large as previously predicted. The most recent snowfall reports locally range from around 2 inches in northwest Rochester to 5.5 inches in the southern half of the city.

As of 6 PM, the National Weather Service had received reports of 6 inches of accumulation just east of Rochester near Chester and up to 7 inches in the Spring Valley Area. Higher amounts were reported to the west. 9.5 inches was recorded near the town of Bricelyn west of Albert Lea and around a foot of snow was reported near the Minnesota-Iowa border near Blue Earth.

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