Messy road conditions continue on Wednesday morning due to a winter storm that dropped plowable snow in parts of the state. 

A NEXT Drive Alert is in effect for the morning commute, with snow, ice and wind gusts being factors impacting the roads. 

That being said, conditions have improved after snow plows tackled the roads overnight. 

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation's 511 website, there are just a few crashes reported in the Twin Cities as of 7:45 a.m. Those locations include Interstate 35W southbound just south of downtown Minneapolis and Highway 100 northbound just south of Crystal. There's also a jackknifed semi causing delays on Interstate 494 near Plymouth. 

Between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday, the Minnesota State Patrol reported 26 crashes and 73 vehicles off the road. Three of the crashes included injuries. From 12 a.m. to 7 a.m. Wednesday, there were another 49 crashes with property damage, two with injuries and one that was fatal. From 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., the state patrol said there were 50 additional crashes, with two of them causing injuries. There were also three spinouts and 73 vehicles that went off the road.

Wind speeds are expected to decrease throughout the day, which should help road conditions. 

Some areas, including Rock Creek and Nevis, received around 8 inches of snow. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, 3.4 inches were recorded. 

Dozens of Minnesota schools are closed or delayed on Wednesday due to the snow.