Up to 6 inches possible

Get your snowblowers tuned up and shovels dusted off.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for today in Albert Lea — and much of central and southern Minnesota — which could blow in as much as 6 inches of snow.

“Thankfully it’s not the type of snow where we’ll see 40 mile per hour winds, but for many places, this will be some of the first measurable snowfall of the year,” said KIMT Chief Meteorologist Adam Frederick.

He said a low-pressure system sliding in from the western parts of the state will bring 3 to 6 inches of snow to the Freeborn County area. The bulk of the snow is expected to blow in Friday afternoon.

By 6 p.m., the Albert Lea area will have about 2 inches of snowfall on the ground, with accumulations up to 5 inches by midnight.

Frederick said to expect another inch overnight.

The mercury will hold steady in the low 20s, however, southeast winds between 5 and 11 mph will make it feel much cooler, with wind chills between zero and 10 degrees expected.

Snow will taper off early Saturday morning, with just a 40 percent chance of snow before noon. The high temperature expected Saturday is 24 with northwest winds between 9 and 14 mph.

“Since a lot of us haven’t dealt with the first snow yet, we need to remember it’s winter and how to drive properly,” said Frederick. “That four-wheel-drive vehicle doesn’t help you stop any faster.”

According to Freeborn County Engineer Susan Miller, road crews will be out on the county roads as weather dictates.

She said types of preventative measures, such as applying anti-icing solutions ahead of a storm, are decided on a storm-by-storm basis.

“It depends on weather temperatures, pavement temperatures, air types, wind conditions and the type of moisture that’s coming in first,” she said.

In any instance, the maintenance superintendent keeps a close eye on weather reports and close communications with officials at the Law Enforcement Center.

She said in daytime situations, road crews typically work until dark or when the school buses all get back in, and then come back at 5 a.m. the next morning.

In a situation where overnight winter weather conditions are expected to hit, the maintenance superintendent will hit the roads around 1 a.m. to see if a 5 a.m. callout is necessary for county road crews. If a storm hits only a portion of the county, the number of county road workers needed to cover that area, rather than the entire crew, are sent to those areas.