Southern Minnesota highways reopen in wake of blizzard
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Most highways in southern Minnesota that were closed due to blizzard conditions on Sunday night have now reopened.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said those highways — which included Interstate 90 between Worthington and Albert Lea, and Interstate 35 from Albert Lea south into Iowa — reopened by 10 a.m. Monday.
However, no-travel advisories remained in place for that part of the state, amid ongoing hazardous driving conditions.
“If motorists need to travel, MnDOT urges drivers to use caution as roads are completely or partially covered with ice,” MnDOT reported just before 9:30 a.m. Monday. “Strong winds are expected to continue today causing blowing and drifting snow, icy and compacted roads, and difficult driving conditions.”
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Find updated travel information on MnDOT’s 511 website.
While highways were closed, the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday night that an emergency shelter for stranded travelers was opened at the National Guard Armory in Albert Lea.
Sunday’s storm dropped well over a foot of snow on parts of the region.
Many schools across southern Minnesota canceled classes on Monday, or moved to online learning, amid the ongoing dangerous driving conditions.
Lake City got 18.5 inches of snowfall at last report from the National Weather Service. Mayor Brian Quinn told Morning Edition the snow stuck to his window was heavy, wet and cementlike.
"The street plows actually had to use our heavy loader equipment to even start to clear the streets before the large plow trucks could even move the snow," he said. Crews there have been busy since around 4 a.m. Sunday.
During the course of the storm, a fire broke out at a pallet company that the mayor says employs about 50 people.
"We had to reroute our street plows to make a pass for the fire trucks to get back there," Quinn said. "A crew of seven people in a town that's about four and a half square miles, it really speaks a lot to their team collaboration and ability to communicate quickly, to pivot and get that route open so the crews could get back there."
Quinn said no one was hurt in the fire.
