Minnesota endures first real test of winter
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minnesota got its first real winter test of the season Monday night and Tuesday morning, with heavy wet snow and ice causing numerous crashes and slippery roads throughout the state. See a map of live traffic incidents at fox9.com/traffic.
SNOW TOTALS
The Twin Cities metro saw between two and 2.5 inches of snow, with 2.1 inches recorded at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
Northwestern Minnesota received the most snow based on 24-hour snow totals. Warroad and Roosevelt near Lake of the Woods got nine and 11 inches of snow respectively.
Snow reports (as of 12:52 a.m.)
MSP Airport: 2.1"
Chanhassen NWS: 2.4"
Mankato: 2.0"
North Branch: 2.0"
St. Cloud: 0.4"
New Ulm: 1.0"
Maple Grove: 0.9"
Warroad: 9.0"
Roosevelt: 11.0"
Brainerd: 0.1"
24-HOUR TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES
Temperatures also dropped drastically across the state. On Monday morning, temperatures were in the 50s in parts of the state and by Tuesday morning they were in the teens.
In the metro, there was a 37 degree difference in temperature from Monday to Tuesday morning.
The largest 24-hour temperature change was recorded in both Fairmont and Mankato in southern Minnesota, where there was a 42 degree difference in temperature from Monday to Tuesday.
CRASHES
From 8 a.m. on Monday morning to 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning there were 410 crashes statewide, 36 with injuries and one fatal crash, according to Minnesota State Patrol. There were also 515 vehicle spinouts or vehicles off the road.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. State Patrol reported a total of 155 crashes statewide, 13 with injuries but none were fatal or serious. There were also 104 vehicles that spun out or went off the road.
An 87-year-old Murdock, Minnesota man was killed when the Ford Escape he was riding in was struck by a Dodge Ram. The Escape was attempting to cross Highway 12 in Benson when it was struck. The driver of the Escape suffered non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Ram was not injured. State Patrol reported the road was wet at the time of the crash.
The snow and ice made for a messy and long commute on Tuesday morning. Crashes were recorded on nearly every major highway in the metro.
VIDEO: Traffic cams show brutal morning commute
Traffic headaches were compounded by a water main break that closed Interstate 694 in Oakdale earlier this week. The freeway is not expected to open until Friday or later while crews work to repair the washout.