Last night's blizzard will continue to cause travel woes

Under clear skies tonight, Christmas Day will start with even lower temperatures, with the entire state well below zero. But highs will rebound into the teens and 20s for much of the state, which is near average. Read more on the Updraft.

After blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures blanketed most of the state, the State Patrol says driving will remain a challenge over the holiday weekend. Lt. Gordon Shank says drivers should check the MnDOT road conditions website before taking off on a trip, and be prepared to wait a while if it's unsafe. He says there have been a number of crashes.

Minnesota has reached another difficult marker in the COVID-19 pandemic. The health department reported today more than 5,000 Minnesotans have died since the pandemic began.

November and December saw more than half of all the deaths in the pandemic. Still, hospitalizations and cases continue trending downward.

Controlling for testing volume, the positivity rate is falling in almost every county in Minnesota. Hennepin and Ramsey counties have had a positivity rate below 5 percent over the past week.

State health officials are concerned when a positivity rate rises above 5 percent.