More than 100 vehicles slip off the road statewide in spring snowstorm
Heavy snowfall overnight caused crashes and spinouts throughout Minnesota Friday morning.
In the metro area, where heavy snow fell overnight and through morning rush hour, troopers handled 26 crashes, two with injuries, and 76 cases where vehicles went off the road during the morning drive, Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said.
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Statewide during that same time, troopers handled 61 crashes, four involving injuries but none serious or fatal, according to Roeske's latest release of crash statistics. In addition, 131 vehicles around the state spun out or slipped off the road.
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"In every snow event during rush hour, there's a high volume of crashes," Roeske said. "Just about everything we deal with in a snow storm is speed-related. Almost every one of these incidents is due to someone driving too fast for conditions, or following too close, unable to stop."
Snowfall amounts varied across the state. According to the latest morning snowfall totals from the National Weather Service, some parts of Minneapolis saw 10.5 inches, and parts of St. Paul saw 7 inches.
On the North Shore, Two Harbors had 10 inches of snow.
West of the Twin Cities, more than a foot of snow fell in Brownton and 11.3 inches in Hutchinson. Some parts of the state saw only 1 or 2 inches of snow.
Roeske said state troopers always hope they don't see high volumes of weather-related crashes this time of year, but as last spring showed, the snow may not be over for the season.
"Hopefully we're out of the woods after this," he said. "But you never know."