State highway closures and no travel advisories continue overnight in southcentral and southwest Minnesota
MANKATO, Minn. – (5:30 p.m.) The Minnesota Department of Transportation warns motorists that state highway closures and no travel advisories in southcentral and southwest Minnesota are expected to continue overnight and into Saturday.
Most state highways in southcentral and southwest Minnesota remain closed, and additional highways will close tonight. A “No Travel Advisory” remains on all highways that are not already closed in the following counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Nobles, Rock, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan. Motorists are encouraged to check www.511mn.org for an updated list of road closures and travel advisories.
Motorists are advised that driving conditions will be challenging this evening and overnight due to blowing and drifting snow reducing visibility, along with extremely dangerous wind chills. Conditions could become life-threatening if motorists become stranded.
MnDOT District 7, serving the Mankato and Windom areas, is not staffed for 24-hour coverage. Crews will not be operating on state highways overnight. Snowplow operators will resume operations in the early hours on Saturday for storm clean-up efforts. Driving conditions are expected to gradually improve on Saturday but may remain difficult throughout the day due to drifting snow and reduced visibility. State highways will reopen as conditions warrant with updates shown on www.511mn.org .
MnDOT reminds motorists that it is illegal to travel on a closed road and if a motorist requires rescuing, they are liable for all related rescue costs.
No travel advisory means that the roadway has deteriorated and/or visibility has been reduced to the point that it is very dangerous to travel; there are reports of intermittent whiteout conditions; and, some weather conditions can be severe enough that road treatments, such as salt or sand, are not effective. Motorists are advised not to travel in these areas until conditions improve.
If you must travel, motorists should have a full tank of gas and winter survival kit and remember to:
- Check www.511mn.org or get the free smartphone app at Google Play or the App Store for road condition information, travel alerts
- Stay alert for snowplows, which turn or exit frequently and often with little warning. They also may travel over centerlines or partially in traffic to further improve road conditions.
- Stay back at least 10 car lengths behind the plow. Don’t drive into a snow cloud.
- Slow down to a safe speed for current conditions.
- Turn on your headlights and wear your seat belt.
- Turn off the cruise control.
- Be patient and remember snowplows are working to improve road conditions for your trip.
- Don’t drive distracted.
Sign up for Travel Alerts
Motorists can sign up for email or text travel alerts for state highways at mndot.gov/d7 by clicking “Email and text updates” under the “Connect with us” heading. Choose to receive messages via email or text message. Then, choose the “South Central MN” under the “Travel Alerts” category.
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