This doesn't happen every day!

An article today from the Post Bulletin... Let's just say my plans of running errands and dining out are not going to happen today. I am very thankful for a warm house with a fireplace. It is coming down so hard that you can't even tell that either of us have been outside even when I shoveled half of the driveway and Brandon then plowed it since you couldn't tell I had even touched it! This is the worst that I have seen it in the 5.5 years that we have been here.

The National Weather Service says that Rochester can expect up to 14 inches of snow rather than the 4 to 6 inches anticipated Friday after precipitation in the area changed to snow earlier than expected.

Plows in Rochester will be pulled off the roads at 8 p.m. today, and return to work at 2 a.m. when the snowfall subsides.

Up to 18 inches of snow is in the forecast for an area stretching from near Hutchinson and Mankato to the Twin Cities.

As of noon today, the Rochester International Airport had recorded 8 inches of snow. Wabasha leads area cities with 11.5 inches.

This afternoon, about 2,200 people in northwest Rochester lost power for an hour when a utility pole caught fire. The outage began at 12:55 p.m., and a Rochester Public Utilities crew restored power at 1:55 p.m. The area affected was from about 37th Street Northwest to 19th Street Northwest, and from 30th Avenue Northwest to 11th Avenue Northwest.

"With snow like this, you really can't tell what will happen," said RPU Chief System Operator Rick Luckadoo. "It's heavy snow, but you never anticipate breakers opening. You just hope for the best."

Heavy snow began falling in Rochester at about 10 p.m. Friday, though the precipitation changed to a wintry mix an hour later.

Transportation officials are advising no unnecessary travel. Westbound lanes of Interstate 90 west of Albert Lea to the South Dakota border were closed at 11 a.m. due to poor visibility. All plows in MnDOT District 7, which includes Mankato, have been pulled off the roads.

Statewide, between midnight and 11:45 a.m., some 319 vehicles had gone off the road or spun out on the icy pavement. There had been 76 crashes statewide (58 in the Twin Cities area) through noon, with seven involving injury. No fatalities had been reported.

At Rochester International Airport, flights have been canceled.

The snow is expected to be followed by dangerous cold. North winds of 20 mph to 30 mph, gusting to 45 mph, combined with air temperatures at or below zero are expected to drop wind chill readings to 20 below zero or colder.

A National Weather Service blizzard warning will be in effect through noon Sunday.

As the snowstorm moves out of the area tonight, bitterly cold temperatures will filter into southeastern Minnesota, falling to minus 16 during the night, with wind chills dropping to minus 20 to minus 35.

Monday's low will be about minus 1 degree.