After a few weeks of warmer temperatures, winter weather returned just in time for Christmas.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for southeast Minnesota — including Mower County — northern Iowa and parts Wisconsin through 6 p.m. Tuesday for a system that could bring 3 to 5 inches of snow to some areas, though the weather service called for about 2 to 4 inches in the Austin area.

The heaviest snow was expected to fall between 6 a.m. and noon before the snow tapered off this afternoon.

With a high around 32, the snow was expected to be wet and slushy, making for difficult driving conditions. 

There was a slight chance for freezing drizzle Tuesday night.

Conditions should clear up in time for the bulk of holiday travel. On Christmas Eve, forecasts called for cloudy conditions, a high of 33 and a low of 22. On Christmas Day, conditions were expected to be mostly cloudy with a high near 34 and a low near 26.