(Mankato, MN) –  Southern Minnesotans weary of winter won’t get much relief in the foreseeable future.

A blizzard warning issued for much of southern Minnesota goes into effect at noon Thursday and includes Brown, Nicollet, Watonwan, Blue Earth, and Waseca counties.  The warning comes on the heels of a round of freezing rain and snow that began Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday.

Area roads, already in poor condition from previous rain, snow and freezing temperatures will take another hit as strong northwest winds move in and cause widespread blowing snow.

The City of Mankato has announced the Monks and Parkway hills are temporarily closed due to inclement conditions.

A bulk of schools in the region have closed in anticipation for the blizzard, which is set to expire at midnight tonight.   However, dangerous wind chills will also settle in, with values bottoming out at around 34 degrees below zero Thursday night into Friday.  Winds, which are forecasted to gust as high as 40 miles per hour, will calm on Friday.  But temps will remain frigid, with a low of -14 overnight and wind chill values dipping to negative 26.

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