Winter storm drops more than a foot of snow in southern Minnesota
Updated: 5:30 p.m.
A storm dropped more than a foot of snow on parts of southern Minnesota on Sunday, causing difficult driving but also bringing a welcome dose of winter for skiing, sledding and other outdoor activities.
As of Sunday evening, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported that highway conditions were improving as plows caught up on clearing today's snowfall.
But there still were slippery stretches, especially in southeast Minnesota where the snow lingered later into the afternoon. Find updated Minnesota road conditions here.
The State Patrol reported it responded to 133 crashes and 136 spinouts or vehicles in the ditch along Minnesota highways through late afternoon.
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Some highways across the region may re-freeze Sunday night as temperatures tumble into the single digits, and road treatments become less effective.
Earlier in the day, MnDOT had advised no travel across much of southwestern Minnesota as north winds caused some drifting. But that advisory was dropped by the afternoon.
The National Weather Service received reports of 15.5 inches of snow at Lake Crystal, 13.5 inches at Lucan and 12.5 inches at St. James.
The southern Twin Cities metro area saw about a half-foot of snow, with 2 to 4 inches in the northern suburbs. Northern Minnesota saw little if any snow from this system.
St. Paul and Minneapolis have declared snow emergencies.
Find details on Minneapolis snow emergency rules here.
Find details on St. Paul snow emergency rules here.
Several other Minnesota communities also declared snow emergencies and parking restrictions, including Bloomington, St. Louis Park, Brooklyn Park, Robbinsdale, Eden Prairie and Mankato.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported about 60 flight delays on Sunday morning, as crews worked to keep the runways clear of snow.
The storm left a fresh coating of snow for sled dog teams taking part in Sunday’s Lake Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby, a new race aimed at bringing dogsledding to a Twin Cities audience.
Sunday’s storm will help refresh ski trails, snowmobile trails and sledding hills across the region. The 4.8 inches of snow reported at the Twin Cities airport was the biggest snowfall there in several weeks.
And for those who had to spend time clearing sidewalks and driveways — the snow was light and fluffy, making it relatively easy to move around.
Find more weather forecast information here
Find Minnesota road conditions here
Find North Dakota road conditions here