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STEVEN JOHN: You're listening to All Things Considered on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Steven John. MnDOT closed Interstate 90 between Luverne and Albert Lea this afternoon as a late winter storm pounds southern Minnesota. Main Street Radio's Erin Galbally has been talking to some of the people affected and joins us from our Rochester bureau.

Erin, how much snow do you have?

ERIN GALBALLY: Well, Steven, this is a big storm. And so far in some places, only a few inches have fallen, while in others it's been more than a foot. By the time it's all said and done, forecasters are predicting as much as 20 inches in some areas.

In particular Albert Lea and Austin are really in the eye of the storm. Freeborn County is expected to pull its plow shortly. They simply can't keep up. And they will head out once again once the weather settles down.

But the real problem has been blowing snow and poor visibility. I just got off the phone with MnDOT's Kristine Hernandez. She says road crews can't keep up with the snow, and as a result, a sizable portion of Interstate 90 is now closed. That's expected to last through the morning.

KRISTINE HERNANDEZ: They're having a lot of problems and not being able to keep ahead of it. So it may come down that we may have to close a piece farther east, but right now, we're able to stay ahead of the snow and keep the roads clear.

ERIN GALBALLY: Also, MnDOT has closed State Highway 60, from Worthington to Windom.

STEVEN JOHN: Lots of cars in the ditches. I think there was a jackknife truck that caused the Highway 60 closure. But how are drivers coping with the storm?

ERIN GALBALLY: Well, basically, MnDOT and the state patrol have encouraged people to stay home, particularly across southern Minnesota. But many of the drivers who have hit the roads have opted to pull over and wait out the storm.

I spoke with Rocky [? Trail, ?] who runs a mega truck stop just outside of Albert Lea, and he says he's really busy.

ROCKY TRAIL: Our lot is fairly full. In fact, it's probably over capacity now. They're pulling in some other places that aren't really parking spots, which is very unusual for through the day. At night is when it usually fills up, especially on a Friday when truck traffic starts to slow down.

Yeah, we're seeing quite a bit more truck traffic through here. So I suppose some of them are waiting it out, and other ones that have to keep going are trying to keep going.

ERIN GALBALLY: Steven, the Rochester International Airport has canceled several of its [? northwest ?] flights, and also many flights out of the Twin Cities have also been canceled because of the weather. So this is hitting everyone.

STEVEN JOHN: I got to believe the kids are enjoying their day off from school today, but how about anybody else that you've talked to that might be enjoying this much snow?

ERIN GALBALLY: Well, believe it or not, the ski resort owners are rejoicing. This has been a slow year for them. And they hope this late winter storm will help revive business. I spoke with Brad Larsen at Welch Village ski resort, and he's hoping for about 11 inches. He thinks the slopes will be packed this weekend.

BRAD LARSEN: Most of our season has been relatively snowless. So when you get a big storm like this, there's a lot of attention on the weather and the snow and things that are associated with the snow, like skiing and snowboarding.

STEVEN JOHN: Thanks, Erin. Good luck getting plowed out, shoveled out this weekend.

ERIN GALBALLY: Thanks, Steven. I think I'll need it.

STEVEN JOHN: That's Main Street Radio's Erin Galbally, reporting from Rochester.