No-travel advisory lifted for parts of NW Minnesota; bitter cold continues
Updated: Jan. 14, 8 a.m.
While much of Minnesota didn’t receive as much snow as initially expected on Friday, gusty winds Saturday created blizzard conditions in parts of the state. And a blast of bitter cold air will remain entrenched across the region over the next couple days.
Wind chills were already dropping into the 40s below zero across parts of western Minnesota on Saturday evening. At 1 a.m. Sunday, Worthington reported a temperature of 20 below zero with a wind chill of 52 below.
Travel conditions
The Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a no-travel advisory Saturday for much of northwest Minnesota, from Ada north to Crookston, East Grand Forks and Hallock, “due to high winds causing blowing snow with zero visibility.”
The advisory was lifted on Sunday morning.
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“Motorists should continue to use caution as blowing snow can limit visibility, especially in open areas with no wind breaks,” MnDOT’s District 2 in northwest Minnesota reported on Sunday morning.
No-travel advisories that had been in place Saturday night also were lifted Sunday morning for eastern North Dakota, including Interstate 29.
MnDOT continued to report snow-covered roads Sunday morning across much of western and southern Minnesota.
The State Patrol reported more than 200 crashes and 65 spinouts or vehicles in the ditch along state and federal highways in Minnesota between 6 a.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
To the west, South Dakota transportation officials advised no travel Sunday morning for many highways south and west of Sioux Falls
And to the south, Iowa transportation officials were advising no travel across much of that state, and some roads were listed as impassable.
Blast of bitter cold
The strong northwest winds — gusting to 40 mph at times in western Minnesota on Saturday — brought in a blast of bitter cold that’ll linger in the region for several days.
Wind chill warnings and advisories remained in effect for the entire state on Sunday morning. Parts of western Minnesota saw wind chills drop into the 50s below zero late Saturday and early Sunday.
For the Twin Cities, a wind chill advisory runs until noon Tuesday. Wind chills may drop into the 30s below zero.
Forecasters said temperatures across much of Minnesota may not climb above zero until Tuesday afternoon.
Friday snowfall totals
Much of southern and central Minnesota did not get as much snow on Friday as initially predicted by forecast models — only a dusting to a couple inches in the Twin Cities metro area.
There was significant snow in southeast Minnesota, with the National Weather Service receiving reports of 7 inches at Winona and Kasson; 6.8 inches near Houston; 6.5 inches in Rochester; and 6 inches near Wabasha. Greater snow totals were reported to the south and east, across Iowa and Wisconsin.
To the north, several days of lake-effect snow added up to well over a foot on parts of Minnesota’s North Shore. That’s good news for North Shore businesses that rely on winter tourists, and people who pursue winter activities.
Sandy Gunnink, president of the Finland Snowmobile and ATV Club, said about 15 inches of snow fell on the trails in that area.
“We have an event coming up in February that we were going to have to make a decision on, so this is — it’s white gold up here, for not only our club, and people that come up to snowmobile, ice fish, those kinds of things,” Gunnink told MPR News. “So it helps everybody, especially our communities.”
Gunnink said it will take a few days for volunteers to pack and groom the trails.
MPR News’ Dan Kraker contributed to this report.
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: