Staff photo by Fritz Busch Frozen rain and blowing snow begin covering Brown County Highway 27 early Thursday afternoon. The Minnesota State Patrol closed U.S. Highway 14 from five miles east of Tyler to one mile east of Tracy at 11:24 a.m. Thursday due to poor driving conditions.

NEW ULM – Old Man Winter roared back through the region Thursday, closing schools and highways in its wake.

Sleepy Eye Public Schools closed at 11 a.m. Thursday, due to impending weather, including rain, sleet, snow and howling winds that closed highways and limited visibility.

New Ulm Public Schools closed at 1 p.m. Thursday. All after-school activities were postponed. Parent-teacher conferences will be rescheduled.

The Section 2AA boys basketball finals game between Maple River and Minnesota Valley Lutheran at Minnesota State University, Mankato, scheduled for Thursday, has been moved to Friday night. The game is still set for an 8 p.m. tip-off, and tickets purchased in advance are still good for Friday’s game.

The Cedar Mountain vs. Mankato Loyola Section 2A title game, originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at MSU, Mankato, has been moved to 6 p.m. Friday as well.

Despite the forecast of a cold, blustery day Friday, the New Ulm St. Patrick’s Day Parade will go on as scheduled, starting at 5 p.m. at Third South and Minnesota Street and heading the wrong way up Minnesota Street to 4th North.

U.S. Highway 14 was closed from one mile east of Tracy to five miles west of Tyler at 11:24 a.m. Thursday due to the weather. A stalled vehicle was reported one mile east of Tracy on Highway 14. No travel was advised on Highway 14 from one mile east of Tracy to seven miles east of Lamberton.

State Highway 60 from Brewster to Worthington was closed at 1:12 p.m. Thursday. A multiple-vehicle crash was reported on TH 60.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) reported slush on Highway 14 from Sleepy Eye to New Ulm. A vehicle was reported spun-out on Highway 14 three miles east of Sleepy Eye.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory from 1 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. Slippery road conditions and widespread blowing snow and reduced visibility were expected.

MnDOT reported slush on State Highway 19 from Morton to Fairfax and snow on the road from Fairfax to Gaylord. A vehicle was reported stalled near Franklin on TH 19.

Motorists were urged to slow down, use caution and visit 511mn.org or call 511 for current road conditions.