Snow, high winds in area shuts some roads

A major winter storm ravaged this area last week, as well as a widespread area of the state, causing many roads to be closed and schools to be called off for multiple days.
The Minneota area received an average of seven inches of snow during the latest storm and, coupled with icy roads and high winds, made travel difficult for the Christmas weekend.
“It’s been an incredibly bad month for weather from Thanksgiving until now,” said Minneota Police Chief Bill Bolt. “We have so much snow that we’re running out of places to put it.”
No travel was advised on nearly all highways in southwestern and west central Minnesota. No travel advised means that the road has deteriorated and/or visibility has been reduced to the point that it is very dangerous to travel. With sub-zero windchill conditions, it could be a life-threatening situation for stranded motorists.
“We only had one accident here with no injuries,” Chief Bolt said. “There was one power line down here, but Otter Tail was on it.
Temperatures finally started warming up on Wednesday, allowing some of the roads to loosen up in order for plows to remove some of the compacted snow.
School was called off Dec. 12-15, leading to three e-learning days and one snow day. Schools are allowed five e-learning days per school year, although the Minnesota Education Association is pondering whether to add additional e-learning days, according to an online site.
School was let out early because of the weather conditions on Wednesday, Dec. 21 with Thursday and Friday already scheduled off for the holidays. School resumes on Tuesday, Jan. 3.