The chances for a white Christmas are improving, but there will likely be a few white knuckles for area drivers first.

Mower County residents need to prepare for another round of snow and wind Wednesday and Thursday, as the National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for much of southern Minnesota, northern Iowa and southern Wisconsin.

NWS meteorologists are calling for 5 to 7 inches of snow in the Austin area starting at 6 p.m. today, but Meteorologist Zack Taylor said most of the snow will come to town after midnight.

Though Austin won’t get as much snow as Iowa and Wisconsin, drivers need to watch out Thursday for high winds creating dangerous road conditions, including whiteouts and blizzard-like conditions. Winds up to 40 mph could create as much as 14 inches of snow in some areas, according to a NWS statement.

“The impacts will still be significant,” Taylor said.

Temperatures could get up to 22 degrees Thursday, before dropping to 7 degrees Thursday night. Early Christmas travelers can expect calmer weather conditions Friday, with sunny weather and a high of 16 degrees.

Much of the county already saw about two inches of somewhat unexpected snow Tuesday, after forecasts had called for less than an inch of accumulation.