Windy with snow chances Wednesday

The other half of the story Wednesday is going to be the strong winds and snow shower’s that are possible across the area.

A cold front will pass through southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa early Wednesday morning, bringing a shift in the winds from the southwest to northwest. Winds will begin to gust up to 30 mph by mid morning, with gusts up to 45 mph during the afternoon hours.

Because of the strong wind gusts possible, the national weather service has issued a Wind Advisory for Olmsted, Dodge, Steele, Fillmore, Mower, Freeborn counties in Minnesota, and Howard, Mitchell, Worth, Winnebago, Floyd, Cerro Gordo and Hancock counties in Iowa. The Wind Advisory will be in effect from 12PM until 9PM Wednesday.

Any objects that are not well secured could be blown away, including Christmas decorations, so you will want to make sure they are strapped down. There also could be power outages if any tree limbs knock down power lines. With the bitter cold on the way later in the day and Wednesday night, this is something you will certainly want to be prepared for ahead of time, just in case.

Not only will winds be strong out there, but there will also be the chance for scattered snow showers. The best chance for snow will be as the second cold front passes through, as well as immediately behind it. Not everyone will see snow, but the areas that do may experience reduced visibilities, due to the high winds and the falling snow. Snow accumulations across the area are expected to be under one inch.

Given the cold that will be following the snow, as well as limited snow amounts, salt being put out onto the roads is not likely. Plan on slippery roadways for any areas that receive accumulating snow, and remember to take it slow if you encounter those slippery road ways.

Snow exits the area by Wednesday night, with winds calming down as the evening progresses. Winds will still be gusting up to 20 mph, however, into Thursday morning.