National Weather Service forecasters said at noon Friday that the winter storm bearing down on southeastern Minnesota has shifted its track slightly southwards, making it more likely that heavy snow will hit the Austin area.

In an updated winter storm warning at 12:09 p.m., the National Weather Service advised that along the I-90 corridor a mix of sleet and freezing is expected after midnight, changing over to all snow by dawn Saturday. Six to eight inches of snow are expected in the Austin area.

The forecast for strong winds and plunging temperatures remains unchanged: as the storm moves through winds will blow 20-30 mph out of the northwest, gusting to 40 mph.

Temperatures will fall below zero Saturday night or early Sunday morning with wind chills of 25-30 below as an Arctic air mass moves into the region.

The updated storm warning said the wind and snow combination would lead to, “low visibilities and blizzard-like conditions due to blowing snow, especially over the open areas of southeast Minnesota.”

While the heaviest snow is still forecast to be somewhat north and east of the Austin areas, forecasters also warned that the storm’s track could continue to shift southwards.

Watch austindailyherald.com for updates as they are available. Road condition information is available from the state Department of Transportation at www.511mn.org.