safari ari

I have to be in Austin MN for two days at the turn of the New Year. I have never experienced a Midwest winter nor really want to, and barely drive when I see a snowflake. I am landing into RST and thinking of either staying in Rochester for the two days and driving down to Austin.
Question is, how bad are the roads in winter (mainly the highway I-90) and is it crazy to shuttle back and forth from Austin to Rochester? Was thinking of booking a hotel in Rochester the night I land and doing the second night in Austin. I'm more concerned about the driving conditions than anything.

mizzou65201

You won't know until a couple of days before you arrive what the weather will be like. If there is no ongoing heavy snowfall then the interstate system will be just fine.
The nice thing about winter storms in the upper Midwest is there's usually at least 2-3 days of general warning, although often times the exact track of a storm will determine where the heavy snow bands set up and that fine level detail is less predictable.
Generally speaking the Interstates and other major arterials are the first to be plowed and treated so unless you need to drive during or immediately after a winter storm you shouldn't have a problem.
I'm not super familiar with those two cities so I will let any southern Minnesotans around here chime in on that.

GUWonder

Even if there is no fresh snow, things can still be bad at times -- even as they tend to a do reasonably good job of cleaning the roads as much as they can to and from Rochester. But it doesn't take a lot for there to be "black ice" or other slick patches to have the car end up in an accident (which can be as little as ending up in a snow bank/ditch to worse or much worse).

I would suggest spending the night you land in Rochester at a place close to it .... with the AmericInn (a Wyndham program property) being as close as it gets and with the second night in Austin as long as you don't have an early departure from Rochester the day after your second night in the area.

Even as someone who is very much used to driving in rural areas in MN and WI during winter, I am not a fan of doing such drives at night or in the early morning hours if I can help it, and I tend to say it's best to call it by ear as the time nears.

puck021

+1. It’s an easy 45 minute drive on good roads but if you are not used to driving in winter I would avoid the night drive and spend the second night. In Austin. It has been cold with lots of 1”snows. Below 10 degrees and snow = black ice since the road chemicals don’t work at that temperature.

MSPeconomist

OP is from Denver. An important difference is that MN tends to be fairly flat, so that one usually isn't driving up and down steep hills in snow and ice. This tends to make it easier.

Try to pick a rental car category that would be expected to be pretty good for winter driving and make sure to have a charged cell phone, warm clothing, water, etc. with you in the car. [Hint: You do not want a sports car no matter how fun and cute it looks.]

The mn511 website shows winter driving conditions, traffic conditions, road closures, accidents, etc. and should be checked before starting the drive.

I-90 gets heavy truck traffic and is rarely empty in a scary way, even at unusual hours, so it's not like a rural secondary road if the OP must drive late at night or in the early morning. However, I agree that the OP should try to drive only during daylight hours. Also, watch out for deer when driving in MN.

glg

We're talking about I-90 here, not some county back road. If there's no fresh snow, there's going to be enough salt and traffic to keep the road clear of ice.

Agree with this. I'd stick to daylight as well just because it's unfamiliar and the deer are usually more likely to be on the move at dawn/dusk.

safari ari

Thanks all for the help. I actually just did a quick trip up to that area and have a better understanding of the conditions. Hoping it doesn't snow anywhere around the next time I have to be there, otherwise I-90 was clear, but definitely wouldn't want to drive without clear conditions.

GUWonder

It’s at least most entirely I-90 but maybe it’s not just I-90 all the way given how people may refer to Austin when even including places somewhat nearby. And even for just I-90, I’ve witnessed some accidents over the year on the entry/exit areas for it and on it elsewhere over the years, more so in the early and late hours of the day when it comes to slick roads being the big factor. Austin area residential roads can be slippery at times even as they do a pretty job of plowing and salting on the main commercial stretches and the streets that feed. But for someone not used to driving on even slush at 25mph, all it takes is a turn at a bit too high speed and there could be some fishtail action.

October and even more so November tend to be amongst the worst times for deer accidents IIRC, but even in the middle of day in the summer I see plenty of deer accidents. The only good way to avoid deer hits is to drive way slower than the posted speed limits, and even that isn’t a guarantee as some deer can run into the right front wheel wells of cars when the cars are even driving well below 45mph.

Either way, if there are strongly blowing winds and/or a heavy snowfall, even with or without deer, even with or without slick road sections, even if on or off I-90 , it doesn’t take a lot to end up in a ditch in winter around these parts.

JimInOhio

Cleveland gets more snow than Rochester, MN and no one worries about it around here. Avoid blizzards and you'll be fine.

GUWonder

Buffalo gets more snow too IIRC than Rochester, MN, but I still find driving in Buffalo in winter is much easier (in terms of keeping control of the car and not having an accident with non-moving vehicles) on average than driving in these parts of MN. Speaking of when it’s already snowed or had freezing rain.

writerguyfl

This is a good point. While the interstate will probably not be a problem, even just a little snow on a small residential street can cause an accident. I used to live in a small town in Southern Minnesota. Driving in winter weather is a definite skill. Unless you're used to it, loosing traction while driving is very disconcerting.

It also sounds like a rental car is involved. Now would be the time to double check your insurance coverage and roadside assistance. You want to make sure you're fully covered.

Although it might be considered sacrilege to some here, if there's snow in the forecast, you might want to consider paying for the Loss Damage Waiver/Collision Damage Waiver directly from the rental car company. Knowing you can walk away from an accident without having to deal with your insurance company might be worth the extra $30/day. (Just make sure you still have the liability coverage, though.)

GUWonder

As another person who got a crash course -- with no damaging accidents but plenty of close calls -- on driving legally as a minor without supervision in such conditions around the area at this time of the year, there were a lot of people who had a lot of love for the snow banks, especially the ones that piled up next to stop signs (even more than those next to traffic lights) as they gave some love back plenty of times.

If you want some real fun, drive in the middle of the night in the area on mostly empty local roads just after or during a fresh snowfall and seek out some slip and slide action, especially on approach to or while at intersections of low speed roads in flat areas. Just make sure to be well-insured, in case you get the wrong kind of love from the objects physically encountered up close and personally.