MN weather: Snowy roads lead to dozens of crashes and spinouts on Wednesday

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – An overnight and early morning snowstorm led to numerous crashes on roadways in the Twin Cities and across southern Minnesota on Wednesday.

Crashes on Minnesota roads

By the numbers:

The Minnesota State Patrol reported between midnight and 7 a.m. there had been 70 property damage crashes, 111 vehicles off the road, 25 spinouts, seven jackknifed semis, and two injury crashes. The State Patrol is expected to release additional crash numbers later in the day.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is advising no travel in much of southern Minnesota west of Interstate 35, including a closure of Interstate 90 between Luverne and Albert Lea on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, roads across the Twin Cities are listed by MnDOT as completely covered in snow. Road conditions prompted Metro Transit to suspend bus service “until further notice” Wednesday morning.

MnDOT traffic cameras also captured a semi-truck teetering over the edge of an overpass in Maplewood on Wednesday morning. The overpass was closed for a period of time as crews worked to get the semi-truck back onto the road and tow it away.

Snowy Wednesday in Minnesota

What to expect:

Snow will continue to fall through the morning commute. Wind is also an issue, with gusts upwards of 40 mph in the Twin Cities.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Twin Cities and much of western Wisconsin, while most of southern Minnesota is under a blizzard warning until Wednesday afternoon.

Heavy snow will taper to lighter snow and then flurries through the morning commute, with snow wrapping up by lunchtime. Difficult travel is expected as the cleanup process continues into the afternoon.

After the snow, it’ll turn sunny Wednesday afternoon, but it’ll stay windy. By Wednesday night, it’ll be cold and quiet, as breezes gradually relax. Thursday will be tranquil and sunny, with a high of around 36 degrees. The angle of the March sun will help melt all this snow.

This March snowstorm is officially the largest snowfall of the season in the Twin Cities. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, with a reported 7.4 inches of snow as of 6 a.m. You can find more snow totals here.

Track the snow storm

What you can do:

FOX 9 is tracking the storm as it moves through Minnesota. We will have live coverage starting at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

You can watch all of our local coverage on Wednesday and beyond on FOX LOCAL. Learn how to download it to your smart TV or through Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, and other services by clicking here.

Road incidents Winter Weather Minnesota