Burst of overnight snow causes slushy roads, school delays across Minnesota
Updated: 8:55 a.m.
Overnight snow led to a slippery, slushy morning commute Monday across central and southern Minnesota — and caused a number of school districts to delay the start of classes.
The National Weather Service received reports of 3 to 6 inches across a wide swath of the state early Monday, including the Twin Cities. A few locations reported more than a half-foot — including 7.5 inches at Oakdale, 7.4 inches near Holyoke, and 7 inches at Victoria and Barnum.
The wet, heavy snow — temperatures were hovering around 32 degrees in the metro area and across much of the rest of southern and central Minnesota — left a winter-wonderland coating on trees, branches, street signs and just about every other surface.
That also included power lines. Xcel Energy reported about 600 homes and businesses without power in its Minnesota service area as of 8:55 a.m. Monday — most of those in the Twin Cities.
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Additional light snow and drizzle is expected during the day.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported snow-covered highways across a wide swath of Minnesota, from Worthington and Pipestone northeast to the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Alexandria and Duluth.
Authorities were responding to a steady stream of traffic issues on metro-area freeways. The State Patrol reported more than 240 crashes and spinouts on highways across Minnesota between 9:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. Monday.
The snow prompted a few school districts across central and western Minnesota to delay the start of classes on Monday morning.
Schools running on a two-hour delay Monday included Morris, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Pipestone, Ortonville and Hinckley-Finlayson. KARE 11 has a list of additional closings and delays.
There were no reports of widespread delays or closures in the Twin Cities.
With the latest round of snow, the season total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport now stands at 74.7 inches — the 13th-greatest season total on record.
Duluth has now recorded more than 100 inches of snow this winter.
And another round of accumulating snow is expected in the region later this week.
Forecast updates
MPR News: Live weather blog and real-time radar
National Weather Service: Snowfall reports
Travel conditions
These state transportation departments offer live updates on road conditions and crashes:
For bus and light rail riders in the Twin Cities, Metro Transit offers weather-related updates on its Metro Transit and Metro Transit Alerts Twitter pages, as well as on its website.
Flight updates
If you’re planning to fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport or another airport around the region — or if you are expecting visitors to arrive by plane — airports offer flight status updates online:
Trail conditions
While a winter storm can cause trouble for travelers, it can be welcome news for skiers, snowmobilers and other winter activity enthusiasts.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers updates on cross-country ski and snowmobile trail conditions at state parks and along state trails around Minnesota.
The Minnesota Ski Areas Association posts updates on snow conditions at downhill ski and snowboard areas around the state.
The Loppet Foundation posts updates on cross-country ski trail conditions in Minneapolis.
SkinnySki.com shares cross-country ski trail updates from across the state.