Douglas County under blizzard warning

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Snowy trouble is headed Douglas County's way, according to the National Weather Service.

It has issued a blizzard warning for Douglas and eight other counties in west central Minnesota.

At 11:35 a.m. this morning, the weather service noted that blizzard conditions are developing rapidly with strong northwest wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. The storm pushed into west central Minnesota this morning in the wake of a cold front. The strong winds have penetrated the crusty top layer of snow and as a result, blowing snow has become a larger concern, according to the weather service.

Blizzard conditions are being observed in some places west of a line from Alexandria to Willmar and Olivia. Further south and east, visibilities are much better.

In addition to the strong winds, temperatures are expected to fall throughout the day so the blowing snow may lead to very slick roadways.

The blizzard warning is in effect until midnight tonight and more rough weather is on the horizon. Alexandria Meteorologist Mark Anthony noted that another significant snowstorm is expected to push across the Central Plains and parts of the Upper Midwest late Wednesday into Thursday and early Friday. He said this weather disturbance could bring some heavy snow across extreme southern Minnesota where six to eight inches of snow could fall. Much of central Minnesota and west central Minnesota could pick-up three or more inches of snow from late Wednesday into Thursday. The winds will also be fairly breezy and will likely reduce visibility.

As if that's not enough, by late into the weekend and next Monday, the computer models are picking up a third snow storm that could impact the Upper Midwest, Anthony said. He said it is too early to tell the exact track of this storm, but it is worth keeping an eye on.

Tags: news, updates, snow, weather, storm, blizzard