We would like to echo Sheriff Terese Amazi’s warning to use caution and avoid traveling whenever possible during extreme winter weather.

The weather has warmed and much of the snow has melted, but we’re not in the clear yet.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for Mower County from 7 p.m. Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday.

On Tuesday, Amazi told the county board that many people ignored her “no travel” warning during a severe February storm.

“We had far too many people out and about,” she said.

Amazi said her warnings for people to stay put aren’t issued lightly. The county even found one man who’d been in his car for 16 hours.

“We’re just very fortunate we didn’t have any fatalities,” she said.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Use caution during storms; don’t travel unless you absolutely have to.

With another strong storm bearing down on the area, we urge residents and residents and business owners to form a plan now.

Residents have argued their work isn’t lenient with snow and extreme conditions, but that’s why it’s vital for business owners and managers to be proactive in planning for the worst, and being lenient with employees that just can’t make it in.

This week’s system isn’t likely to bring the strong winds that shut down area roads in February, but it could bring a new set of issues.

A strong storm system is expected to bring a variety of precipitation types. Significant accumulations of snow and/or ice could occur in southeast Minnesota and north central Iowa.

From the looks of it, this could be another messy one. Rain will develop Thursday afternoon and will change over to freezing rain, then to sleet and finally to snow.

There’s potential for significant ice or snow accumulations. Visibility could be limited at times. The snow should diminish Friday evening.

Accumulations of ice and snow will depend on the temperature and the timing of when the rain changes to snow and eventually to ice.

As we learned last May, spring snow storms can pack a powerful punch. It’s best to be prepared and cautious.