There is a cliché some are wont to use that says, “stay in your own lane.” Over the next couple of days, it will be difficult to find a driving lane to stay in. Wright County Highway Maintenance Superintendent Nate Helgeson said his crews have been working around the clock last night and this morning to get the roads as clear as possible, but a “ground blizzard” is expected with sustained winds of 20-30 miles per hour with wind gusts of 50 mph or more that will create whiteout conditions with blowing snow and vehicles like large trucks kicking it up – making conditions blinding.
“The best advice for drivers is to take extreme caution and slow down,” Helgeson said. “We’re going to be dealing with 24 to 48 hours of high wind. We’ve got the roads scraped down as clean we can and will continue today, tonight and tomorrow morning.”
Helgeson said salting roads won’t be effective with temperatures this cold. In some areas drifting will take place. Travel is not recommended, but given the timing before Christmas, drivers are advised to have phones fully charged and have the 511mn app on their phones to monitor road conditions where they are travelling.