Stearns, Benton Counties Included in Winter Storm Warning

UNDATED -- The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for a large part of central Minnesota -- including Stearns and Benton Counties -- starting Wednesday.  Areas to the west and north of St. Cloud are included in the warning.

Areas to the east and south of St. Cloud including Sherburne County are included in a Winter Storm Watch.

Confidence has increased for accumulating snow Wednesday. The heaviest amounts will be in central to northern Minnesota and far northern Wisconsin. Snow arrives mid-morning in western Minnesota, spreading east through the morning.

Temps will fall throughout the day.  Strong winds will be more of a factor than the amount of snow.  Snow moves into the St. Cloud area by late morning Wednesday, with 2-3 inches of snow possible.  Winds will gust over 25 miles an hour.

National Weather Service

For the latest road conditions throughout the day Wednesday and through the Christmas holidays check out the MnDOT website.

If you have plans to travel out to far western Minnesota or into the Dakotas you'll run into a Blizzard Warning.