NEW ULM — Christmas is less than a week away and the forecast is: “Oh, the weather outside is frightful.”

According to the Weather Channel, a white Christmas is defined as 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25. Southern Minnesota already has that covered and more snow is on the way.

The National Weather Service has posted a winter storm watch notice Monday to alert area residents what’s heading their way.

“Winter Storm Watch in effect from Wednesday morning through late Friday night,” the notice said.

The Winter Storm Watch calls for possible blizzard conditions with snow accumulations of 5 to 10 inches and winds gusting as high as 55 mph.

The National Weather Service is also warning of ‘dangerously cold wind chills” as low as 45 below zero. The warning is in effect from Thursday morning through Saturday morning.

While the below zero temperatures have already arrived, that trend is expected to last through the rest of the week and into the weekend. The National Weather Service forecast for the week shows snow showers are expected to hit Wednesday afternoon, with snow accumulations around 3 to 5 inches. A northwest wind of 20 to 25 miles per hour will blow it around Thursday afternoon. The blowing snow will continue with high winds continuing through Saturday, gusting as hight as 50 mph on Friday.

All in all, a good time to spend inside.