Austin has already received 1.5 inches of snow, but the heavier white stuff is on the way.

The National Weather Service expects the storm to move east across the area Monday, dropping 1 to 3 inches of snow before gradually weakening. Some freezing drizzle may occur as the snow diminishes west of the Mississippi River.

Then, the NWS expects the second and heavier round of snow to develop Monday night and Tuesday morning. This round could significantly impact the Tuesday morning commute, and could make traveling dangerous or near impossible, the NWS says. The NWS predicts this round to dump 2 to 6 inches of snow by sunrise Tuesday, and another 3 to 8 inches by Tuesday evening. The greatest accumulations are expected east of Mower County and around the Mississippi River.

The NWS says winds could blow and drift the snow Tuesday afternoon, especially across unsheltered areas of southeast Minnesota.

Watch austindailyherald.com for updates as they become available.