Authorities advise no travel across southern Minnesota as blizzard conditions continue
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Authorities advised no travel across southern Minnesota on Sunday, as blizzard warnings remained in effect for the region through early Monday.
As of Sunday afternoon, the National Weather Service had received reports of 8 to 12 inches of snow from Waseca and Lonsdale north to the southern and eastern Twin Cities metro area, with snow still falling.
There were reports of around a foot of snow in the Rochester area, and 14 to 20 inches in a band from Pine Island and Oronoco to Millville to Lake City and Kellogg.
In an update just after 9 a.m., the public works department in Lake City — where weather spotters reported 17 inches of snow — said crews “are actively deployed and doing everything they can to keep streets open and respond to the storm. However, the combination of deep, heavy snow and strong winds is making snow removal extremely challenging, and drifting is quickly covering areas that have already been cleared.”
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The city was asking people to stay off the roads “unless travel is absolutely necessary.”
Snow is forecast to gradually taper off through the day Sunday, but increasingly gusty winds will cause blowing and drifting snow, and reduced visibilities.
No travel advised
As of 4:45 p.m. Sunday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation continued to advise no travel on highways from near Worthington, Pipestone and Marshall, east to Mankato, Blue Earth, Faribault, Owatonna, Albert Lea, Rochester, Wabasha and Winona.
That included long stretches of Interstates 35 and 90.
“Blowing snow and strong winds are creating blizzard conditions and are making travel difficult,” officials with MnDOT’s District 7 in south-central Minnesota reported early Sunday. “Conditions are expected to remain difficult today until they gradually improve on Monday.”
“Blue Earth County road crews are out today, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to travel,” the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office in Mankato reported Sunday morning.
MnDOT closed southbound Interstate 35 south of Albert Lea by on Sunday afternoon, because officials in Iowa closed their portion of the freeway amid the blizzard conditions. Iowa transportation officials said I-35 is closed between the Minnesota state line and Ames until conditions improve.
MnDOT reported snow-covered highways across the rest of the southern two-thirds of the state, including freeways in the Twin Cities metro area. Authorities responded to a steady stream of crashes and spinouts through the morning and into the afternoon.
Snow emergency parking rules are in effect in Minneapolis, St. Paul and some other communities across the state.
The Minnesota State Patrol reported more than 250 crashes and spinouts across the state from midnight through 10 p.m. Saturday, as the snow started to fall.
From midnight through 1 p.m. Sunday, the Patrol reported more than 375 additional crashes and spinouts. Those numbers are only for state and federal highways; they don’t include city and county roads.
Highways closed in Wisconsin, South Dakota
To the east — Wisconsin transportation officials on Sunday morning advised no travel in the northwest quarter of the state “as all highways are partially or completely covered with snow or impassable, and more snow is expected throughout the day.” That advisory was later expanded to cover most of the northern two-thirds of the state.
As of 10 a.m., officials said all lanes of Interstate 94 in Jackson County, Wis., were blocked “and many alternate routes around the interstate are impassable. Heavy snow, blowing winds and poor visibility have made it difficult for snowplows to keep up, and some counties are pulling plows from secondary routes.”
To the west — South Dakota transportation officials closed highways across much of the state late Saturday “due to the combination of heavy snow and sustained strong winds causing snow-covered roads, blocked bridges and underpasses, and greatly reduced visibilities.”
Interstates 29 and 90 reopened by late Sunday morning, but officials said “extremely difficult driving conditions are expected today due to blowing snow and poor visibility.”
Twin Cities transit
Metro Transit buses and trains are operating in the Twin Cities amid the storm.
Throughout Sunday morning, Metro Transit reported about a quarter to half of bus routes were behind schedule, but only by an average of about 5 to 10 minutes. Officials said “significant delays” are expected through the day.
Metro Transit said Blue Line light rail trains were also experiencing some delays.
Find specific route information and delays here.
Majority of flights canceled at MSP
A majority of scheduled flights at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were canceled on Sunday.
Delta and other airlines proactively canceled flights, or encouraged travelers to change plans, ahead of the forecast blizzard conditions.
As of late Sunday morning, MSP’s website reported about 700 canceled arrivals or departures. About 210 flights were still listed as running on time.
The airport said anyone with flights still scheduled for Sunday should check with their airline for updates.
Travel updates
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 social media pages, as well as on its website.
Amtrak provides service updates and advisories on its website.
Is there is snow emergency in effect for St. Paul or Minneapolis? Find out on the City of St. Paul website or the City of Minneapolis 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:
