Holiday travelers — whether driving, flying or riding buses or trains to Christmas gatherings — may want to leave now rather than waiting until later in the week, when forecasters are predicting life-threatening conditions associated with an arctic blast that will blow into Minnesota and affect most of the Upper Midwest.
"Tuesday is definitely the best travel day of the week," said Bill Borghoff, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. By Thursday it may be next to impossible. Plan to change your travel plans. It's easier to change them now than later, and not risk trying to get where you are going," Borghoff said.
A polar air mass will drop 5 to 10 inches of fluffy snow on the metro area and much of Minnesota starting Tuesday night into Wednesday before the mercury sinks below zero. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph will blow the powder around, creating blizzard conditions that will last through Friday, particularly in western and southern Minnesota, Borghoff said.
A Winter Storm Watch was issued from Wednesday through late Friday night for all of central and southern Minnesota and west central Wisconsin, the Weather Service said.
High winds, which will reduce visibility even in the metro area, will also create dangerous wind-chill values as low as 35 below. That combination could make driving impossible and life-threatening for motorists who get stranded, Borghoff said.
"If you get stuck on the roads when it's below zero and windchills at minus 35, it does not take long to feel the effects," Borghoff said. "You will be in big-time trouble."
From Thursday through Jan. 2, AAA expects more than 8.1 million motorists to be on the roads in the North Central region, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas. People driving in those states this week are likely to encounter dangerous conditions, too.
"This is widespread," Borghoff said. "Heed warnings and road closures. We are taking this seriously and we hope others do as well."
