Tuesday storm updates: Another day of challenging travel across Minnesota
Updated: 4:55 p.m.
Rain changed over to snow during the Tuesday morning commute in the Twin Cities, leaving a slippery coating on freeways and sidewalks — and leading to a steady stream of crashes and spinouts.
Meanwhile, heavy snow continued in northeast Minnesota where some communities have received well over a foot of snow — and counting — since Sunday. And the combination of snow and gusty winds created near-zero visibility in parts of western Minnesota.
Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings continue for much of the state through Tuesday evening.
The icy conditions could also affect travel overnight and during the Wednesday morning commutes.
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“We had a lot of snow, followed by a lot of rain, and now we’re adding a layer of snow back on top — and with that, temperatures are going to fall as we head into tonight,” said Joe Strus, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities.
The ongoing winter storm prompted dozens of school districts across Minnesota to either cancel or delay the start of classes, or move to online learning Tuesday.
Some districts that did not cancel classes later decided to call off after-school and evening activities, as driving conditions worsened through the day Tuesday. Minneapolis, St. Paul and Anoka-Hennepin were among districts that canceled after-school events.
Minneapolis school officials said there could be transportation delays as students head home on snowy streets.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported icy roads across a wide swath of the state from the southwest to the northeast on Tuesday. That spread eastward through the morning, to include the Twin Cities.
For part of Tuesday, authorities were advising no travel on some highways in southwest Minnesota, including Interstate 90 between Worthington and Jackson. Authorities said the snow and wind was combining to create near-zero visibility. That no-travel advisory was lifted Tuesday afternoon.
The State Patrol reported 288 crashes, 257 spinouts or vehicles in the ditch and 31 jackknifed semis along Minnesota highways between 4:30 p.m. Monday and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In total from early Sunday through Tuesday afternoon, the Patrol has responded to nearly 1,500 crashes and spinouts. That does not include crashes along city and county roads.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 200 delayed flights as of late Tuesday afternoon, and seven cancellations.
Metro Transit said about 40 percent of its Twin Cities bus routes were delayed as of midday Tuesday; that percentage decreased through the afternoon.
The Duluth Transit Authority was back in service Tuesday, after suspending bus service on Monday. But it said the ongoing snow may cause delays.
Some cities across the state declared snow emergencies amid the ongoing winter storm, including the city of Richfield.
The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul did not declare snow emergencies, given the changeover to rain on Monday that melted some of the snow from Sunday.
Authorities also urged people to use caution and take frequent breaks while shoveling, given the heavy, wet nature of the snow.
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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 and 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:
Employees sprays a de-icing liquid on a passenger plane on the tarmac Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport on Monday.Kerem Yücel | MPR News
