While a shovel, snowblower and some salt might be enough to clear your driveway following this wintry weather, The Minnesota Department of Transportation has a much bigger task at hand.
MnDoT is busy across District 6 covering 11 counties in Southeastern Minnesota.
101 snow plows are set to be out on area roadways.
During the hours leading up to a blizzard warning, crews are busy preparing the snow plows.
Getting blades on and doing last-minute mechanical checks are critical in making sure everything is operating the way it should.
Crews were out at 7 o'clock Wednesday morning pre-treating highway ramps.
The biggest challenge for drivers is the low visibility as the winds pick up and the flakes fall.
Even once the snow subsides - tomorrow will also be a challenge for drivers - with frigid temperatures.
Mike Dougherty with MNDot says if temperatures are less than 20-degrees, salt on area roadways is not as effective.
Dougherty explains, "Think about a highway and the hundreds and thousands times vehicles are packing that snow down, that can bond to the pavement, and it's more difficult to remove, as it gets colder.”
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MnDoT urges drivers to think about the need for travel -- check conditions, leave earlier, and plan to arrive later. and they urge you to keep an eye out for snow plows.
Dougherty tells KIMT News 3, “Snow plows are going like 25-30 miles per hour right in that range, that's how they can effectively move that snow off, make sure if they're putting down salt-- they wanna go at a slow enough speed so it stays on the road."
The Minnesota Department of Transportation road conditions and crash alerts can be accessed at 511MN.ORG -- and to sign up for text alerts, go to MNDOT.GOV\D6.