Monday storm updates: Rain and slush in southern Minnesota; snow ...

25 Mar 2024

Minnesota Public Radio

Updated: 6:40 a.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.

Rain - Figure 1 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

Meanwhile, to the north, snow continued to fall — with another 6 to 12 inches possible by Tuesday evening, on top of what fell Sunday. Winter storm warnings remain in effect across most of 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.

Flight delays, cancellations

Officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport reported several dozen delayed or canceled flights on Monday morning.

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Rain - Figure 2 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

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.

Residents of South Minneapolis and their children enjoy heavy snowfall at Fuller Park on Sunday.

Kerem Yücel | MPR News

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.

Rain - Figure 3 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

A snowplow clears snow on Interstate 494 in Inver Grove Heights during a winter storm on Sunday.

Andrew Krueger | MPR News

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.

Difficult driving

The Minnesota State Patrol reported 328 crashes on state and federal highways between midnight and 9:30 p.m. Sunday, along with 220 spinouts or vehicles off the road, and 10 jackknifed semis.

Rain - Figure 4 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

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.

Snow falls at Valley Park in Roseville on Sunday.

Nancy Lebens | MPR News

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.”

Rain - Figure 5 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

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.”

Dan Wyffels blows snow off of his sidewalk in Marshall as a second snow storm begins Sunday late afternoon.

Jackson Forderer for MPR News

At local grocery stores, aisles were busy Sunday, but not necessarily in preparation for stockpiling ahead of dangerous roads.

Rain - Figure 6 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

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.”

Matt Versaevel (right) and Will Versaevel, 3, watch their dog Nala catch a snowball in their front yard in Marshall as the snow began to fall thicker Sunday late afternoon.

Rain - Figure 7 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

Jackson Forderer for MPR News

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.”

Interstate 35E in Mendota Heights on Sunday morning.

Andrew Krueger | MPR News

Share your snow photos with us! Send them to [email protected] and let us know where you took the photo.

Rain - Figure 8 — Photo Minnesota Public Radio

Snow falls over northeast Minneapolis Sunday.

Nicole Neri for MPR News

Forecast updates

MPR News: Detailed updates from MPR News meteorologists

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:

Minnesota

North Dakota

South Dakota

Wisconsin

Iowa

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.

Cara Johnson pushes her son on a walk as snow falls over northeast Minneapolis Sunday.

Nicole Neri for MPR News

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: