The Albert Lea area got hit with yet another round of snow on Christmas Eve.

Albert Lea received about 8 inches of snow by 2 p.m. Friday.

This was after getting hit with 7 1/2  inches of snow on Monday.

The snow began falling shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday. By 7 a.m. Friday, new snow accumulation of 6 inches blanketed the ground in Albert Lea. Another inch fell by 11 a.m. Friday.

Other areas around the region reporting new snow accumulations Friday included Mapleton with 7 inches, Ellendale and Kiester with 5 1/2 inches, Mankato with 4 inches and the Twin Cities with 3 1/2 inches.

The new snow was causing slippery road conditions, and drivers travelling for the holiday weekend were being cautioned to drive safely. Several major roads were listed in difficult driving conditions by the Minnesota Department of Transportation on Friday morning, including U.S. Highways 65 and 69 from the Iowa border north, along with Interstates 35 and 90.

Nine inches of new snowfall was reported in Iowa, causing difficult driving conditions as far south as Des Moines.

The Iowa Department of Transportation did not advise travel on I-35 south from the Iowa/Minnesota border to the Sheffield exit because of ice and snow covered roads. Caution was recommended on U.S. Highway 65 south, from one mile north of Northwood, Iowa, south to the Hubbard, Iowa area, due to ice covered roads.

Freeborn County remained in a winter weather advisory until noon Friday. The National Weather Service predicted 1 to 3 inches could fall before snowfalls were expected to diminish in the late morning hours.

Scattered flurries were expected to last into Friday night, with a high of 27 degrees. No snow was predicted for Christmas Day, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 20 degrees.

The weather advisory included areas from Canby to Hutchinson to Minneapolis. The National Weather Service predicted that the larger snowfall totals would be across the south central portion of the state, including Mankato, Fairmont and Blue Earth.