Snow — and travel headaches — keep piling up across much of Minnesota
Updated: 2 p.m.
Steady light snow continued falling across much of Minnesota on Wednesday, the second part of a multi-day winter storm causing treacherous road conditions across the region — if drivers were even able to dig out their vehicles and reach a cleared road.
The snow also presented a big challenge for pedestrians, air travelers and pretty much anyone else trying to get from one place to another.
On Tuesday, the storm brought an intense burst of heavy snow along with some freezing rain. On Wednesday, it was a prolonged period of light snow that added up, and up, all day.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported more than 1,200 crashes, spinouts and jackknifed semis on state highways between 11:30 a.m. Tuesday and 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. That total doesn’t include crashes on city and county roads.
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There was at least one reported weather-related fatal crash, in Wright County near Clearwater. The Patrol said a 36-year-old Maple Lake, Minn., man died after his car went into a ditch along State Highway 24 on Tuesday night. Authorities said he got out of his vehicle and was standing on the shoulder when he was struck by a passing pickup truck just after 7 p.m.
The Twin Cities and much of the rest of southern, central and eastern Minnesota may see another couple inches of snow Wednesday afternoon and night, on top of what fell Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
Two-day snow totals reported as of early Wednesday afternoon — with snow still falling — included 14 inches at Edgerton; 13.5 inches in Burnsville, Woodbury and Apple Valley; 12.2 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; 12 inches in Northfield; 11.3 inches in Chanhassen; 10.4 inches near St. Cloud; and 7 inches at Moose Lake.
That's adding to what's already been a much snowier-than-usual winter across much of Minnesota.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories remain in effect through 6 p.m. Wednesday for parts of northeast and southwest Minnesota. The advisories are now in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday for much of southern and central Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. Find more details on MPR Weather’s Updraft blog.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported snow-covered roads across most of the southern two-thirds of the state on Wednesday. In some places, Wednesday’s snow fell on top of a glaze of ice from light freezing rain Tuesday night.
Some communities have declared snow emergencies, which put parking restrictions into effect so that snow plows can clear streets. That includes St. Paul and Minneapolis, where night plow routes will be cleared starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Other cities that have declared snow emergencies include Bloomington, Richfield, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, St. Louis Park, Robbinsdale, Eden Prairie, Plymouth, West St. Paul and Mankato.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 110 canceled flights as of 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.
More than a third of Metro Transit’s bus routes in the Twin Cities have been delayed at times Wednesday morning.
School closings
Wednesday brought a second day of widespread school delays, cancellations and e-learning days.
St. Paul Public Schools and Minneapolis Public Schools each said they would be moving students to an online learning day Wednesday. Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Farmington, Hastings, Lakeville and Princeton were among the other districts calling for an e-learning day.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools canceled classes Wednesday, “due to winter road conditions and unplowed parts of the district.” Other districts canceling classes Wednesday included Inver Grove Heights, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, St. Louis Park, Mounds View, South Washington County and West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan.
And many other districts opted to start classes two hours late — including Benson, Big Lake, Blue Earth, Eden Prairie, Edina, Faribault, Forest Lake, Mankato, Marshall, New Ulm, North Branch and Waconia.
Check with your local district for updates Wednesday.
Power outages
Minnesota utilities reported several thousand homes and businesses without power at times Wednesday morning, as the winter storm continued into a second day and added stress to trees and power lines.
Earlier Wednesday, Xcel Energy was reporting more than 3,000 customers without power in its Minnesota service area, most of those in the Twin Cities. It was down to about 600 as of 2 p.m.
In the south and southeast metro, Dakota Electric Association was reporting numerous outages, adding up to several hundred customers. It said crews were responding to those outages.
Tuesday’s travel troubles
Tuesday’s first wave of snow and freezing drizzle caused headaches for drivers on roads across the region, with the Minnesota State Patrol reporting hundreds of crashes and spinouts. MnDOT issued a no-travel advisory for much of the day Tuesday for more than a dozen counties in southwest and southcentral Minnesota.
Some counties pulled their plows off the road due to poor visibility. Snow totals Tuesday included 11 inches at Windom, 8.5 inches at Willmar, 7 inches at Granite Falls and 6 inches at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
There were heavier snow totals to the west in South Dakota, where Mitchell saw 17.2 inches of snow Tuesday — its second-highest single-day snow total on record.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation closed Interstate 90 west of Sioux Falls for much of the day Tuesday, and that closure continued overnight “due to significant snow accumulation and multiple stranded vehicles blocking lanes of traffic.”
“Clean-up has been extremely slow due to the large number of vehicles that are stuck and stranded on I-90. Clean-up will be completed during the morning hours of Wednesday,” the agency reported.
And it was tough for air travelers, too. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 200 canceled flights on Tuesday, and a Delta flight from San José del Cabo, Mexico, got stuck after arriving Tuesday evening when its nose gear went off a taxiway. There were no reports of injuries.
The freezing drizzle also caused runways at MSP to close for a time.
In South Dakota, Sioux Falls Regional Airport was closed Tuesday due to the winter weather. Officials there said they plan to reopen at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Tuesday snow totals
Minnesota snow totals reported to the National Weather Service from the first wave of precipitation included:
11 inches — Windom
10 inches — Morgan and Ghent
9 inches — Raymond and Mound
8.5 inches — Willmar, Comfrey, Gaylord and Kimball
7.5 inches — Buffalo and Winthrop
7 inches — Granite Falls and Montrose
6.8 inches — Chanhassen, Maple Lake
6.5 inches — Excelsior and Pleasant Lake
6.4 inches — Waconia
6 inches — Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Norwood Young America
5.8 inches — Rock Creek
5.7 inches — Otsego
5.6 inches — Hutchinson
5.4 inches — Savage
5.2 inches — Hopkins
5.1 inches — Chaska
5 inches — Bloomington, Maple Plain
4.9 inches — Mendota Heights
4.8 inches — Minnetonka
4.7 inches — Eagan
4.6 inches — St. Michael, Victoria
4.5 inches — Northfield, Golden Valley, Burnsville, Ham Lake
4.3 inches — Columbia Heights, Plymouth
4 inches — Hinckley, Lakeville, Elko New Market
3.9 inches — Mahtowa
3.8 inches — Waite Park
3.7 inches — Newport
3.5 inches — Proctor, Finlayson, Woodbury
3 inches — Red Wing, Fort Ripley, Rutledge, West Duluth, Motley, Esko
2.5 inches — Deer Creek
2.3 inches — Moose Lake
2.2 inches — Duluth airport, Cloquet
2 inches — Battle Lake, Elbow Lake, Sebeka
The Holland neighborhood of northeast Minneapolis during a winter storm warning on Tuesday, Jan 3, 2023.Gretchen Brown | MPR News
Links for more information
Here’s how to keep tabs on forecasts, travel conditions and flight updates over the next few days.
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.