If you haven’t stocked up on groceries or parked the car in the garage, it may be too late.

Thursday, December 28, 2000

If you haven’t stocked up on groceries or parked the car in the garage, it may be too late. Nasty winter weather has descended upon southeast Minnesota, making it tough to get around today.

Snowfall amounts of up to 9 inches were expected by the time snow finishes falling Friday morning. Flurries started this morning and were expected to linger into Friday.

The snow was supposed to start tapering off into the evening today, according to KIMT’s StormTeam 3. Blowing and drifting will reduce visibility, especially in rural areas. With dangerous wind chills, the overnight low was expected to dip to about minus 5 degrees, according to KIMT.

A winter storm warning was placed into effect at 5 a.m. today, with heavy snowfall throughout the day and eventually totaling between 6 and 9 inches.

The Austin Fire Department asked residents on Wednesday to shovel snow away from fire hydrants on their property or boulevard so firefighters can have easy access to the hydrants. In addition, Austin Utilities asked customers to shovel snow away from utility meters and vents to assist meter readers, and to help natural gas appliances operate properly.

Austin already has received nearly 29 inches of snow this winter.

More snow was also expected Friday, Saturday and Sunday, although New Year’s Day was expected to be dry, according to weather forecasts.

While travel won’t be advisable during the heavy snowfall, those who must travel may want to call these numbers for road conditions in nearby areas:

n In Iowa: (800) 288-1047; outside Iowa: (515) 288-1047

n Minnesota: (800) 542-0220

n Wisconsin: (800) 762-3947