The visibility is so poor across southern Minnesota due to blowing snow, that officials want people to stay home.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a "No Travel Advisory" for 21 counties: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Jackson, Martin, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Rock, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, Watonwan and Winona.
The advisory warns against travel from Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon.
MnDOT is reporting near white-out conditions in the area covered by the advisory.
The area is under a blizzard warning which the National Weather Service expanded to include Dakota, Scott and Carver around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Todd Krause, the warning coordinator for the National Weather Service said, "It's a very impressive storm system, I will say it's not the storm of the century, but it will be life threatening, especially in rural areas, if you're not prepared."
MnDOT snow plows are out, but officials may pull them off the roads if conditions decline.
The State Patrol reported 345 property damage crashes, 54 injury crashes and 147 vehicles off the road statewide between 12:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Of the 345 property damage crashes, 285 were in the metro, as were 39 of the 54 injury crashes.
