By Jo McMullen / KVSC reporter

We’re heading into a windy night in central Minnesota tonight. The National Weather Service is reporting a potential for a historic high wind event and they’ve issued a high wind warning for Stearns, Benton, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties in our area.

The high wind warning starts at 9 p.m. Wednesday night and continues overnight until 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

Retired St. Cloud State University meteorology professor Bob Weisman says a strong low pressure system is racing from the Rockies across Minnesota. He warns the system may be strong enough to set a record for lowest December pressure in northern Minnesota and will create a number of problems in central Minnesota

• High winds gusts between 40 MPH and 60 MPH
• Rain changing to snow tonight with some accumulation in northern, western and central Minnesota
  • Near zero visibility in falling and blowing snow at times
• Wet surfaces becoming icy overnight

Keep in mind, the NWS is warning that the winds will be strong enough to down trees and power lines, they are expecting widespread power outages in parts of the state. Travel overnight will be difficult, especially in higher profile vehicles.