Dec. 23 blizzard delivers white Christmas with zero visibility and sub-zero wind chill

After several weeks of brown winter conditions, a Dec. 23 blizzard delivered a white Christmas for much of the region, leaving several inches of snow in its wake.
Along with the snow, the storm brought high winds, with gusts up to 70 mph, causing driving conditions to deteriorate rapidly Wednesday afternoon.
Sub-zero wind chills resulted in readings of minus 20 to minus 35 degrees in rural areas, prompting warnings that frostbite could occur after only minutes of exposed skin in the elements.
By 3:30 p.m. the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed I-90 from the South Dakota border to the Highway 60 juncture at Blue Earth.
No travel was advised in 12 southwestern Minnesota counties, and by 5:30 p.m. MnDOT advised that it was pulling snowplows off the roads due to zero visibility conditions.
When daylight broke Thursday morning, snow had stopped and winds had subsided to reveal cars in ditches after poor visibility and slick roads contributed to crashes and stranded vehicles.
Winter temperatures in the week since then preserved snow cover in Rock County, and more snow was in the forecast for mid-week the final days of 2020.