Monday storm updates: Rain and slush in southern Minnesota; snow continues north
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Updated: 1:25 p.m.
Snow changed over to rain in the Twin Cities ahead of the Monday morning commute, leaving drivers and pedestrians a slushy, slippery mess to navigate on streets and sidewalks.
Meanwhile, to the north, snow continued to fall — with more than a foot in some locations as of midday Monday, and several more inches possible by Tuesday evening. Winter storm warnings remain in effect across most of western and northern Minnesota, with blizzard warnings along the North Shore.
Dozens of school districts and colleges either closed, moved to online learning or delayed the start of classes on Monday because of the difficult driving conditions.
Minnesota utilities reported sporadic power outages through the day. At one point Monday morning, Xcel Energy reported several hundred homes and businesses without power in its Minnesota service area; that number was much lower by early afternoon.
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Difficult driving
The Minnesota State Patrol reported 439 crashes on state and federal highways from Sunday through 11:30 a.m. Monday, along with 385 spinouts or vehicles off the road, and 14 jackknifed semis.
Those numbers do not include crashes on city or county roads across the state.
A 51-year-old Lakeville woman died in a single-vehicle crash on a snowy and icy stretch of Interstate 35E at just after noon Sunday, when a northbound SUV slid off the road and struck a tree.
Road conditions improved through the day Monday in the Twin Cities, but highways remained snow-covered across a wide swath of Minnesota from the southwest to the northeast.
Some cities across the state declared snow emergencies, including the city of Richfield.
The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul did NOT declare snow emergencies, given the changeover to rain that melted some of the snow from Sunday.
“Plow crews will be careful to not create snow ridges and ruts on streets that could freeze and block driveways and parked vehicles. Where residential streets are clear of parked vehicles they will plow as close to the curb as possible,” the city of Minneapolis said in an update Monday morning.
“Crews are plowing to the curbs where they can, focusing on the corners at intersections to open up catch basins (storm drains) and prevent flooding,” with rain and possibly some freezing rain in the forecast, the city of St. Paul reported. The city said it “encourages residents to help keep storm drains clear from snow and debris to help proper drainage and avoid water from pooling on the streets.”
Authorities also urged people to use caution and take frequent breaks while shoveling, given the heavy, wet nature of the snow.
Flight delays, cancellations
Officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported more than 80 delayed or canceled flights as of midday Monday.
That’s after more than 200 flights were canceled or delayed amid the snow on Sunday, as extra crews worked to keep runways open during a popular day for travel.
Michael Schommer is a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. He said the airport added staff in an attempt to keep runways open.
“We have nearly 320 people to support snow removal and response efforts,” Schommer said Sunday. “Our full resources are being activated, and they’ll be on site until well after the storm has passed.”
The winter storm is hitting during one of the airport’s busiest weeks, as students and families take vacations.
A flight delay cost Aela Krubsack her Sunday connection on the way to Salt Lake City. The Ashland, Wis., elementary school teacher on spring break was expecting to spend the night at Denver’s airport.
“It’s going to be quite the story to tell of my first ever solo flight,” Krubsack said with a laugh.
Schommer said the airport expects this week and next to bring peak numbers of spring break travelers. He advised travelers to keep up to date on cancellations and delays with their airlines and the airport’s website before coming to the airport.
Enduring the storm
On Sunday in St. Paul, Kaitlin Seagraves was visiting from Tulsa, Okla. She and several friends were in town to watch PWHL Minnesota face off against Montreal in a professional women’s hockey league game. She was impressed by how ready Minnesota is for snow.
“I got on the 511 and saw that you guys have cameras all over the roads and snowplow routes and stuff,” Seagraves said. “We don’t have any infrastructure like this.”
In southwest Minnesota, many residents in Marshall are begrudgingly breaking out their usual winter habits again.
Dariel Rugama, a parts specialist at O’Reilly Auto Parts, said there has been a recent spike in people buying wiper blades and batteries to gear up for winter driving again. Rugama arrived from Nicaragua five years ago.
“It’s kind of weird having a snowstorm, but I’m used to it already,” he said. “Now it’s just like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It is what it is.”
At local grocery stores, aisles were busy Sunday, but not necessarily in preparation for stockpiling ahead of dangerous roads.
Spencer Gravley, who works at Hy-Vee, said he noticed double the usual amount of customers the past couple days. Yet Sunday morning shoppers said their full carts were nothing out of the ordinary.
Erin Jensen was buying ingredients for her winter chili recipe. She’s been making it for over 30 years, she said, and the conditions are finally just right for its warmth.
“Well, it’s the perfect time of year to make some chili, especially when the snow is falling,” Jensen said. “And so my plan today is just bake, make some soup and snuggle in and watch a good movie.”
The storm comes in the wake of a winter weather system that dropped several inches of snow Thursday night into Friday morning across much of the state — causing hundreds of crashes and spinouts.
Because of the length of the snowstorm and its intensity, Josh Sandstrom, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, recommended people adjust driving habits.
“Take it slow out there,” he said. “If you don’t need to travel, I would not recommend it.” Sandstrom added the Monday morning commute “is looking pretty treacherous.”
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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:
