Now Over 30 Minnesota, Wisconsin Counties In Winter Storm Alerts

The National Weather Service in Minnesota is warning people in the Upper Midwest that another strong spring system will be tracking through the area Tuesday evening into Wednesday night.

A band of heavy snow is expected to develop across the region early Wednesday morning and last through Wednesday night. This will start as rain, and quickly transition to heavy, wet snow, with snowfall rates of an inch per hour or more at times. Amounts around 4 to 9 inches are expected in areas facing the snow, with isolated pockets up to a foot possible.

In addition to the heavy snow, northerly winds of 30 to 40 mph will develop causing blowing and drifting snow. In south-central Minnesota, wind gusts could exceed 45 mph, which could lead to whiteout conditions.

A Blizzard Warning has been issued in areas where heavy snowfall and significant blowing snow will cause the most impact.

In preparation, the NWS issued two new Winter Weather Advisories to accompany the Winter Storm Watch issued in several other areas, including portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Everyone in a watch area is expected to see reductions in visibility from falling and blowing snow.

The winds across southern Minnesota will be higher, therefore this area has the best chance for blizzard conditions.

NEW Winter Weather Advisory #1

This new Winter Weather Advisory was issued early Tuesday morning and includes the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chaska, Hutchinson, Chanhassen, Victoria, Redwood Falls, Blaine, Olivia, and Gaylord.

WHAT: Snow is expected with total snow accumulations between 2 and 5 inches. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph.
WHERE: McLeod, Renville, Sibley, Anoka, Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Redwood Counties.
WHEN: From 4 AM to 7 PM CDT Wednesday.
IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Slow down and use caution while traveling. Call 5 1 1 or visit 511mn.org for road conditions.

Get our free mobile app

NEW Winter Weather Advisory #2

This new advisory was issued early Tuesday morning for portions of southwest Minnesota and southeast South Dakota.

It includes the cities of Fulda, Lennox, Springfield, Marion, Hurley, Irene, Tyler, Tea, Ivanhoe, Marshall, Lake Benton, Slayton, Yankton, Hendricks, Luverne, Centerville, Scotland, Pipestone, Avon, Viborg, Tabor, Sioux Falls, Parker, Tyndall, Chancellor, Harrisburg, and Canton.

WHAT: Snow and blowing snow is expected. Total snow accumulations between 2 and 4 inches are expected with isolated higher amounts possible. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph will promote blowing/drifting which could lead to significant visibility reductions at times.
WHERE: Portions of southwest Minnesota and southeast South Dakota.
WHEN: From 1 AM to 1 PM CDT Wednesday.
IMPACTS: Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning commute. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Check road conditions by calling 5 1 1 or online at 511mn.org for Minnesota and sd511.org in South Dakota.

The following Winter Storm Watches remain in effect.

Winter Storm Watch #1

This Winter Storm Watch covers portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the cities of Stillwater, Shakopee, Hudson, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, River Falls, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Menomonie, Durand, and Hastings.

WHAT: Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 3 and 7 inches expected. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
WHERE: In Minnesota, Dakota, Scott, and Washington Counties. In Wisconsin, Barron, Rusk, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, and St. Croix Counties.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through Wednesday evening.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Prepare for possible blizzard conditions. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. Minnesota road conditions can be found by calling 5 1 1 and online at 511mn.org for Minnesota and 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Winter Storm Watch #2

This Winter Storm Watch covers portions of Minnesota and Iowa, including the cities of Austin, Charles City, Cresco, Rochester, Osage, Dodge Center, Preston, and New Hampton.

WHAT: Blizzard conditions are possible with total snow and sleet accumulations between 2 and 9 inches expected. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph.
WHERE: Portions of north central and northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes. Strong winds could cause tree damage.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Prepare for possible blizzard conditions. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. Check road conditions by calling 5 1 1 or online at 511ia.com for Iowa and 511mn.org for Minnesota.

Winter Storm Watch #3

This Winter Storm Watch includes the Minnesota cities of Wabasha and Winona.

WHAT: Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 2 and
8 inches expected. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.
WHERE: Wabasha and Winona Counties.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Check road conditions by calling 5 1 1 or online at 511mn.org for Minnesota.

RELATED: Blizzard Warnings Now Issued In Over 12 Minnesota Counties

Winter Storm Watch #4

This Winter Storm Watch includes the Wisconsin cities of Black River Falls, Alma, Whitehall, Arcadia, Neillsville, and Medford.

WHAT: Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 2 and
8 inches expected. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
WHERE: Clark, Taylor, Buffalo, Jackson, and Trempealeau counties.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. Road conditions can be found by calling 5 1 1 and online at 511wi.gov.

Winter Storm Watch #5

This Winter Storm Watch impacts the Wisconsin cities of Hayward and Ashland. The NWS says gusty northeast winds over 30 mph are possible, leading to areas of blowing and drifting snow. Snow is expected to be heavy and wet.

WHAT: Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 3 and
7 inches expected. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
WHERE: Ashland and Sawyer Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation and the Bad River Reservation. Other locations include Madeline Island.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through late Wednesday night.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. Road conditions can be found by calling 5 1 1 and online at 511wi.gov.

SEE NOW: 40 Discontinued Cereals People Used To Love In Minnesota

Winter Storm Watch #6

This Winter Storm Watch impacts the Wisconsin cities of Hurley and Phillips.

WHAT: Heavy snow is possible with total snow accumulations between 5 and 9 inches and ice accumulations around a light glaze expected. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
WHERE: Price and Iron Counties. This includes the Tribal Lands of the northwestern area of the Lac du Flambeau Band.
WHEN: From late Tuesday night through late Wednesday night.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation. Road conditions can be found by calling 5 1 1 and online at 511wi.gov.

SEE NOW: Wisconsin Travelers Now Warned To Avoid 9 Popular Destinations

17 Things You Must Never Flush Down Your Toilet In Minnesota Or Wisconsin

Having to call someone for home repairs is never fun and the costs that are associated with those calls always seem more than we expect and they come at the worst times.

A common call people make is to plumbers, and many of those issues happen in the bathroom. If you have kids, who may not know exactly what goes in the toilet, there's a good chance they've flushed something down that caused problems your plunger couldn't fix.

However, you don't need kids to have those issues because everyone can get confused about what can safely be flushed down the toilet. A key thing to remember is that toilet paper breaks down in water and rarely causes a blockage, but anything else could lead to you calling a plumber for help.

Even if they don't clog your toilet, 17 specific things have a good chance of getting caught in the machinery of your city's wastewater treatment plant. Repairs are costly on this machinery so it's vital that you NOT flush the following items to protect your plumbing and to help save your city's time and resources.

Gallery Credit: David Drew