Minnesota winter storm: Xcel Energy advice for this week's snow

Tuesday's forecast: First round of snow ahead of evening commute

A cold but quiet and kinda sunny start this morning but clouds will quickly increase leading to the arrival of our first round of snow during the mid-afternoon. This will lead to a dicey evening commute. Temps will hover in the teens.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - With a major storm rolling into Minnesota, Xcel Energy says they will have extra crews working to restore any outages that should occur because of the snow.

Xcel is also reminding customers of a few tips to help be as safe as possible during the upcoming storm.

Customers are asked to report any outages they may encounter by either calling 1-800-895-1999 or online.

Additionally, Xcel listed a few other tips:

Stay away from downed power lines
Keep natural gas meters clear
Have a home emergency kit ready
Be careful if using a space heater

Xcel also says it’s best to lower your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower during extreme cold events.

Outage checklist: Xcel Energy's tips by outage length

1-2 hours: Turn on a single light to be alerted when power is restored and check the status of your outage
2-4 hours: Use food safety by keeping the doors of your refrigerator and freezer shut as much as possible as this will help maintain the cold temperature
4-8 hours: Think about how you'll keep your mobile device charged. A laptop or car charger can help. Coffee shops and community centers are also good places to charge devices
8-12 hours: Food in your refrigerator after eight hours begins to spoil and may no longer be safe, so you should pack food into a cooler surrounded by ice
12+ hours: Check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors if your outage is lasting longer than 12 hours