As snow winds down, cleanup from multiday storm begins across Minnesota
Updated 3 p.m.
Minnesotans got to work clearing streets, driveways and sidewalks on Thursday as a multiday winter storm slowly moved out of the region.
A band of heavy snow swept across much of southern and eastern Minnesota early Thursday, the final and in some areas the most significant round of snow in a storm that — while not quite as historic as predicted by some early forecasts — still caused plenty of travel headaches across the region.
Travel across parts of southern Minnesota remained difficult Thursday afternoon as plows worked to cut through deep drifts caused by gusty northerly winds. A no-travel advisory remained in place as of mid-afternoon from Pipestone and Slayton north to Madison and Montevideo.
But the Minnesota Department of Transportation reopened highways that had been closed since Wednesday night, including Interstate 90 between the South Dakota border and Worthington.
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Interstate highways were also slowly reopening to the west, in North and South Dakota.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 240 canceled flights Thursday, but some flights were still arriving and departing — and officials said conditions would improve through the afternoon. To the west, the Sioux Falls airport reopened Thursday morning after being closed overnight due to blizzard conditions.
In the Twin Cities, Metro Transit reported early Thursday that some bus trips “are being canceled as operators face challenges getting to work on time.” About a third of bus routes saw minor delays through the morning, but that number decreased significantly in the afternoon.
Many businesses, school buildings and offices across southern Minnesota remained closed Thursday. The morning commute in the Twin Cities was a rough trek amid blowing snow, with the State Patrol reporting more than 200 crashes and spinouts between 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
Snow reports as of Thursday afternoon included 21 inches at Taunton in southwest Minnesota, 20 inches at Apple Valley, 18 inches in North Mankato and 17 inches in Cambridge and Canby.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported 13.1 inches. A wide swath of southern and central Minnesota received more than a foot.
School buildings remained closed and events cancelled as regional leaders waited for the storm to ebb Thursday.
MPR News is posting up-to-the-minute information on its live blog.
School closings
St. Paul Public Schools said the district will be virtual again Thursday. Games and practices for sports are canceled. Events scheduled for Friday will be decided on later this week.
Minneapolis public school buildings will also be closed, with e-learning days for all students for the remainder of this week. Burnsville-Eagan-Savage and St. Cloud were among the other districts that moved to online learning Thursday.
Anoka-Hennepin, Rochester, Willmar and New Ulm schools were among the districts that closed Thursday.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus was on reduced operations, with courses moved online or canceled.
Most of the Twin Cities area districts are doing e-learning or snow days. KARE 11 has a complete and expanding list of closings and delays.
Snow emergencies
Snow emergencies took effect Wednesday night in Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with some suburbs.
In St. Paul, parking was banned on night plow routes starting at 9 p.m. and day plow routes starting at 8 a.m. Thursday. Another snow emergency is expected to kick in Thursday night repeating the parking restrictions through Friday, so plows can clear the roads again.
St. Paul opened eight city-owned ramps for free parking during the winter storm. It’s also suspended garbage and recycling service on Thursday and Friday. City officials are asking people not to put out their garbage or recycling carts to aid in snow plowing.
Minneapolis is offering free parking in five city and two private lots and ramps.
Statewide, Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday proclaimed a “peacetime emergency” in anticipation of the storm, authorizing the Minnesota National Guard to position equipment around the state as needed and put Guard members on notice that they be called on over the next few days to help rescue stranded drivers and provide other emergency assistance.
Many district courts across southern Minnesota have closed for the storm or gone to remote hearings.
Power outages
Xcel Energy reported hundreds of homes and businesses without power early Thursday in its Minnesota service area — most of those in the Twin Cities. But as of 6:45 a.m., most of those outages appeared to have been repaired.
As of 6 a.m. Xcel was reporting just over 2,700 customers without power. That number dropped to about 100 as of 6:45 a.m. It wasn't immediately clear if the outages were due to the winter storm or from other causes.
Northeast winds were gusting in excess of 35 mph amid falling snow in the Twin Cities on Thursday morning.
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.