BRRRRR!!

This isn't going to be a big surprise to anyone who has a window, but it's snowing ou there in the Chippwewa Valley. Hang on to your hats, it's going to be a bumpy ride over the next couple of days - the photo is the latest MINIMUM snow fall from NOAA - expect more.

Latest warnings are:

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 444 AM CST FRI DEC 16 2016 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 171300- DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS- BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-LAC QUI PARLE-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA- KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON- YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA- REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH- WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-POLK-BARRON-RUSK- ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-EAU CLAIRE- 444 AM CST FRI DEC 16 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW EARLY THIS MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO MORE WIDESPREAD AND STEADIER SNOW BY EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT AND MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES DURING THE EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SNOW WILL TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST ON SATURDAY... WITH TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WILL GENERALLY BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM APPLETON... TO LITCHFIELD... THROUGH THE TWIN CITIES TO EAU CLAIRE. BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES WILL WORK INTO THE AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND PERSIST INTO SUNDAY... WITH READINGS RANGING FROM 25 TO 45 BELOW ZERO. THE COLDEST VALUES WILL BE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND SNOWFALL OBSERVERS ARE URGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. $$

Winter Storm Warning

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 931 AM CST FRI DEC 16 2016 ...HEAVY SNOWFALL EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... ...BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY... .OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES EARLY THIS MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO STEADIER AND HEAVIER SNOW DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. THE SNOW WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING... AND WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF SATURDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM APPLETON...TO LITCHFIELD...TO THE TWIN CITIES...TO EAU CLAIRE WILL LIKELY SEE THE HEAVIEST SNOW. SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ALONG WITH FRIGID TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW THE SNOW LATER SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY. WIND CHILLS WILL PLUNGE INTO A RANGE FROM 35 TO 45 BELOW ZERO ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA BY SATURDAY EVENING... AND REMAIN IN THAT RANGE INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WIZ015-016-025>028-162345- /O.CON.KMPX.WS.W.0006.161216T1800Z-161218T0000Z/ BARRON-RUSK-DUNN-PEPIN-CHIPPEWA-EAU CLAIRE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...RICE LAKE...LADYSMITH...MENOMONIE... DURAND...CHIPPEWA FALLS...EAU CLAIRE 931 AM CST FRI DEC 16 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST SATURDAY... * EXPECT SNOW TO DEVELOP AROUND NOON AND THEN DIMINISH AROUND 6 PM SATURDAY. * THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL RATES WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 6 PM THIS EVENING AND MIDNIGHT SATURDAY. * TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. * LOOK FOR SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY AT TIMES. * EXPECT WIND CHILLS TO RANGE FROM 5 ABOVE ZERO TO 20 BELOW ZERO BETWEEN NOON AND 6 PM SATURDAY...WITH THE COLDEST WIND CHILLS OCCURRING AROUND 5 PM SATURDAY. * PLAN ON DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE COLD WIND CHILLS WILL CAUSE FROSTBITE IN AS LITTLE AS 30 MINUTES TO EXPOSED SKIN. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN YOUR CAR WITH EXTRA WARM CLOTHES AND A PHONE IN CASE YOU GET STRANDED. THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE STATE YOU ARE CALLING FROM CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 5 1 1. && $$ JRB