Snow, high winds snarl Twin Cities roads; 5-7" metro totals confirmed
A winter storm dropped roughly 5-7 inches across the Twin Cities metro — Burnsville 7", Maple Grove 6.2", MSP Airport 5.8" and Chanhassen 5.6" — while high winds produced white-out conditions and slippery roads that snarled travel. I-35 was closed between Albert Lea and Ames, Iowa, and no-travel advisories were in effect across southern Minnesota; blizzard warnings covered much of western and southern Minnesota, with heavier totals reported in western Wisconsin (Haugen 9", Eau Claire 8.5") and final totals from blizzard-warning zones still pending.
📊 Relevant Data
In a 2023 snow emergency in Minneapolis, 4,615 vehicles were towed, generating nearly $1 million in fines and fees, with the majority extracted from low-income neighborhoods.
When snow falls, money flows ... from those who can afford it the least — MinnPost
In 2023, Minnesota recorded 11,832 traffic crashes on snowy or icy roads, resulting in 28 fatalities and 2,230 injury crashes.
Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts 2023 — Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Minnesota has warmed by 3.0°F between 1895 and 2020, with winter warming 2–3 times faster than summer, and the winter of 2023–24 was the warmest on record.
Climate trends — Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
📌 Key Facts
- Sunday’s storm left most of the Twin Cities metro with 5–7 inches of snow; site readings included Burnsville 7 in, Maple Grove 6.2 in, MSP Airport 5.8 in and Chanhassen 5.6 in.
- Western Wisconsin reported higher totals — Haugen 9 in and Eau Claire 8.5 in — indicating the storm intensified eastward.
- As of early Monday, Interstate 35 was closed between Albert Lea, Minnesota and Ames, Iowa; no‑travel advisories were in effect across southern Minnesota during the event.
- Blizzard warnings covered much of western and southern Minnesota during the storm; final totals from those blizzard‑warning zones remain pending.
- Local reporting (FOX 9 Minneapolis–St. Paul) compiled and confirmed the metro totals and regional impacts in its 'Minnesota snow totals' update published early Monday.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms metro snow totals from Sunday’s storm largely in the 5–7 inch range, with specific site readings: Burnsville 7", Maple Grove 6.2", MSP Airport 5.8", Chanhassen 5.6".
- Reports comparative totals in western Wisconsin, including Haugen at 9" and Eau Claire at 8.5", showing the storm’s eastward intensity.
- Notes that as of early Monday, I‑35 remains closed between Albert Lea and Ames, Iowa, and that no-travel advisories were in effect across southern Minnesota during the event.
- Adds early context that blizzard warnings covered much of western and southern Minnesota, with final totals from those blizzard‑warning zones still pending.