More than a thousand crashes, spinouts reported after snow

More than a thousand car crashes and spinouts were reported over the weekend as the metro area got its first taste of winter weather. A light snowfall continued overnight into Monday, leading to a slow morning commute.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that there were 882 crashes and 402 spinouts across the state between Saturday morning and Sunday evening. Although 92 injuries were reported, no one was killed or seriously injured. Most crashes occurred in the metro area.

Snowfall totals for the weekend storm ranged from over 9 inches in Chanhassen to about 6 inches in Minneapolis. Temperatures in the Twin Cities also dipped near zero for the first time early Monday morning, leading to icy conditions on roads.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported that many roads in the state, including in the metro area, were slippery and at least partially covered in snow as of Monday morning. Most highways just south of Duluth were reported to be completely covered with snow as of 8 a.m.

Plow crews were out overnight cleaning up the snowfall and putting salt on the roads, said transportation department spokesperson Kevin Gutknecht. But temperatures approaching zero created perfect conditions for black ice to develop on some roads.

"When you have situations where there is traffic congestion, one of the byproducts of the internal combustion engine is water vapor, so water vapor comes out of the exhaust and it starts to form ice on the road as well," Gutknecht said.

The morning commute was slow on Monday, with a number of accidents reported around the metro area.

"We had a pretty significant snowstorm over the weekend and I think folks who drove at all over the weekend are in the right mindset," Gutknecht said. "Still, you need to slow down and take your time because there are slippery spots, no question."

The National Weather Service in Chanhassen forecast scattered flurries in the Twin Cities on Monday, with about 1 inch of snow accumulation. On Monday night, temperatures will reach a low of 5 below zero, with with wind chills reaching minus 21. Tuesday is forecast to be sunny with a high temperature of about 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Minneapolis and St. Paul both declared snow emergencies starting on Sunday night.

In Minneapolis, there was no parking on either side of snow emergency routes starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday until 8 a.m. on Monday. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, there's no parking on the even side of non-snow emergency routes or on either side of parkways. And on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., there's no parking on odd sides of non-snow emergency routes.

In St. Paul, there was no parking on Sunday night until Monday morning on streets that have signs that say "night plow route." Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, there is no parking on "day plow routes." If a street isn't marked as a night plow route, it's considered a day plow route. Parking will be banned until streets are completely cleared.