The seemingly never-ending storm meant a third day of shoveling, travel headaches and school disruptions — and a third day of building up the snowpack for skiing, snowmobiling, sledding and other winter activities.
Steady light snow continued falling across much of Minnesota on Wednesday, the second part of a multi-day winter storm causing treacherous road conditions across the region — if drivers were even able to dig out their vehicles and reach a cleared road.
Southwest Airlines says it will award the travelers who were caught in the surge of canceled flights during the holidays 25,000 frequent-flyer points, an award worth more than $300 in flights.
Authorities issued a no-travel advisory for parts of southwest Minnesota on Tuesday, as a winter storm continued to bring a wintry mix of precipitation to the region. The National Weather Service reported thundersnow and thundersleet at Albert Lea and Waseca.
Why did Southwest cancel so many flights, and what's next for affected travelers? The airline-in-crisis hasn't answered all the questions, but claims it has returned to normal operations.
Passengers who looked for last-minute tickets encountered sky-high prices — in some cases, triple or quadruple the rate for the same route in the last few months. Experts say it's fairly normal.
Southwest isn't the only airline experiencing delays and cancellations, but it is by far the worst-hit, with about 5,500 of its flights canceled across the country in the last two days.