Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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winter storm is heading for the Upper Midwest

, poised to bring snow, wind and possibly blizzard conditions to much of Minnesota later this week along with bitterly cold temperatures — just in time to mess with holiday travel plans.

The National Weather Service said travel across Minnesota later this week could be “impossible and life-threatening” as the storm is forecast to drop more than 6 inches of snow in some locations Wednesday into Thursday, followed by winds gusting in excess of 50 mph that will create dangerous wind chills and possibly whiteout conditions Thursday and Friday.

Here’s how to keep tabs on forecasts, travel conditions and flight updates over the next few days.

Winter storm watches are in effect from Wednesday through late Friday for southern, most of central and northeastern Minnesota. That includes the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Duluth, Rochester and Mankato. Wind chill watches and warnings also are in place for much of the region later this week.

These state transportation departments offer live updates on road conditions and crashes:

For bus and light rail riders in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit offers weather-related updates on its 

If you’re planning to fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport or another airport around the region — or if you are expecting visitors to arrive by plane — airports offer flight status updates online:

While a winter storm can cause trouble for travelers, it can be welcome news for skiers, snowmobilers and other winter activity enthusiasts.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers 

updates on cross-country ski and snowmobile trail conditions

 at state parks and along state trails around Minnesota.

The Minnesota Ski Areas Association posts 

 at downhill ski and snowboard areas around the state.

updates on cross-country ski trail conditions

 shares cross-country ski trail updates from across the state.

Weather and Climate News

Transportation

Andrew Krueger

Author

The storm is poised to bring snow, wind and possibly blizzard conditions to much of Minnesota later this week — just in time to mess with holiday travel plans.

Track travel, storm conditions as winter blast barrels toward Minnesota

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