The photo above summarizes it all with the gates drawn at mile markers 194 and 128 on Interstate 35 due to whiteout conditions and numerous accidents. Traffic is being diverted onto Highway 18 in Clear Lake with trucks sprawled all across the area. The CBS affiliate in Mason City has captured the surreal scene in Clear Lake with long lines of trucks waiting to get back onto Interstate 35 to bring their hauls to their destinations:

A travel advisory remains for many roads across the north central Iowa area this evening as well, especially on Highway 69 from Jewell to the IA/MN border. It is unclear on when these advisories will be lifted or when Interstate 35 will re-open for that matter. Winds are expected to continue gusting tonight, currently sitting in the 15-25 MPH range with gusts to 35 in some areas. This is not making any relief situation any better and we may not see a total cleanup of things until sometime tomorrow. Winds are expected to continue at near-advisory pace until tomorrow night. Schools have already delayed or canceled yet again for tomorrow with these conditions expected to continue. The best advice we can give for you right now is to stay off the roads tonight and check back in the morning. There is still a high likelihood that there will be travel impacts likely again tomorrow morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect across north central and northwestern Iowa until midnight tonight. It would not personally surprise me to see this extended or re-issued for tomorrow due to blowing snow potential but we will have to see. The bottom line is to stay off the roads tonight if at all possible and check back in the morning for the latest information.

Stay tuned to the Iowa Weather Network for continued updates throughout this event.