Thunderstorms, freezing rain and snow cause travel headaches across Minnesota
Updated: 3:30 p.m.
Depending on where you live in Minnesota, you may have woken up to snow, freezing rain or thunderstorms — or some combination of the three. The messy mix of precipitation caused difficult travel across much of the state.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported a rash of spinouts and crashes on freeways in the Twin Cities during the Wednesday morning commute.
MnDOT said roads are icy across much of the state.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 75 delayed flights as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Metro Transit was not reporting any significant delays for its bus and light rail lines in the Twin Cities.
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Precipitation types evolved over the course of the morning hours. The Twin Cities airport reported light freezing rain and 32 degrees as of 6 a.m., while Faribault reported a thunderstorm with heavy rain — also at 32 degrees. Earlier in the morning, Olivia in western Minnesota reported a thunderstorm with light snow.
By 7:30 a.m., precipitation had changed to snow in parts of the Twin Cities.
It also was snowing in the Twin Ports, where Duluth Public Schools were closed Wednesday.
There was a burst of heavy snow Wednesday in parts of northwestern Minnesota. National Weather Service spotters reported nearly 10 inches of snow Wednesday in several communities between Moorhead and Detroit Lakes — including Rollag and Lake Park. A spotter reported 7 inches of snow at Pelican Rapids.
Winter weather advisories for light freezing rain and snow are in effect for parts of northeast Minnesota through Wednesday evening.
Xcel Energy was reporting about about 500 customers without power in the Twin Cities as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday — down from nearly 1,000 earlier in the day.