NEXT Weather: Travel not advised in large swath of Minnesota amid snowstorm | Live updates
A major winter storm has arrived in Minnesota on Sunday and is expected to impact travel conditions into Monday.
Due to significant impacts from the storm, WCCO has issued a NEXT Weather Alert.
Blizzard warnings are in place for central Minnesota until 6 a.m. Monday, while winter storm warnings will be in place across eastern Minnesota into Wisconsin from 12 p.m. Sunday until 9 a.m. Monday.
Wind gusts of up to 40 mph are expected by the afternoon as snow intensity and coverage increase, creating potential for near-blizzard conditions.
Travel is expected to be difficult along and east of Interstate 35, where the heaviest snow is expected.
As far as snow totals, a large swath of Minnesota — including the Twin Cities — could get up to 8 inches of snow by Monday morning. Areas to the southwest and northern Minnesota are expected to receive less snow.
The snow event is expected to be done by the morning commute, but slick roads and blowing snow will continue to impact road conditions.
Light snow is possible north of Interstate 94 on Tuesday, with another chance on Wednesday bringing 1 to 2 inches for the metro area.
High temperatures drop to the teens for the rest of the work week.
Follow live updates below.
Update on MSP Airport disruptions
There are now over 400 delays and nearly 150 cancellations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to flight tracker website FlightAware.
A ground delay is also underway at the airport with an average delay of four hours.
The airport suggests you pay close attention to your flight status with your airline.
MSP is still in the midst of its holiday travel period. The Metropolitan Airports Commission says that roughly 50,000 people were expected to travel through checkpoints across the airport system on Sunday
Minneapolis declares snow emergency
Minneapolis has joined the growing list of cities in the state to declare a snow emergency. Parking rules begin at 9 p.m. on Sunday.
St. Paul has yet to announce a snow emergency, but city officials did issue an update at 2 p.m.:
"Currently, Saint Paul Public Works has additional crews plowing arterial (main, high volume) streets throughout the city. With the heavy snowfall, crews will continue to plow "center cuts" to keep the drive lanes as open as possible throughout the day.
"Extra crews will be plowing snow throughout the evening, and as the snow slows, plows will then push accumulated and blowing snow to the curb.
"Crews will also be plowing and salting hills and curves throughout the city today and into the evening.
"Residential side streets will be snow covered and become compacted in areas by Monday. Please drive with extreme caution."
Other cities that have announced snow emergencies include:
- Eden Prairie
- Hopkins
- St. James
- St. Louis Park
- New Hope
- Northfield
- West St. Paul
There may be more, so see snow emergency information here.
Interstate 35 closures in southern Minnesota, northern Iowa
A stretch of Interstate 35 in southern Minnesota is closed due to numerous crashes amid a winter storm.
According to officials, the interstate is closed from Highway 14, which is just south of Owatonna, to Clarks Grove. There are at least five crashes between those two locations.
At 4 p.m. the interstate is also expected to close from Albert Lea into northern Iowa. It's a coordinated effort between Iowa DOT and MnDOT. The interstate is expected to open on Monday, but no specifics have yet been given.
See the latest road conditions on 511mn.org.
Metro Transit's status
A representative of Metro Transit says "things are going pretty well overall."
As of 1 p.m., a third of buses were delayed by about 7 minutes and light rail service is "largely unimpeded by the weather," the representative said.
Service updates will be posted via Metro Transit's social media accounts.
Trollhaugen closes Sunday due to power outage
Trollhaugen, a ski area in Dresser, Wisconsin, has closed Sunday due to a power outage. Organizers say the power went out at 11:30 a.m. and that it's expected to be restored by 4:45 a.m. Monday.
Travel not advised for large part of the state
According to Minnesota transportation officials, travel is not advised for most of southwestern Minnesota due to low visibility amid Sunday's winter storm.
Snow emergencies begin to pile up
Multiple cities announced snow emergencies:
- Eden Prairie
- Hopkins
- St. James
- St. Louis Park
- New Hope
- Northfield
- West St. Paul
Crash numbers update
The Minnesota State Patrol has issued an update on crashes between midnight and 1:30 p.m., adding to "please delay or cancel travel plans until the storm as passed."
According to the patrol, there have been 179 property damage crashes, 163 vehicles off the road, 12 injury crashes, five spinouts and seven jackknifed semis.
Thousands without power in metro area
Power outages are an issue during the winter storm on Sunday.
According to Xcel Energy's outage map, there are nearly 2,500 people without power in the Twin Cities area.
Nearly 200 delays and dozens of cancellations at MSP Airport
Sunday's winter storm has led to significant delays and cancellations at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
According to flight tracker FlightAware, there are 197 delays and 60 cancellations at MSP Airport as of 11:30 a.m.
A look at potential snowfall totals
By Monday morning, the Twin Cities could see up to 8 inches of snow. Western Wisconsin could see even more, possibly up to 12 inches.
Areas to the north, south and southwest of the Twin Cities are expected to see less:
- Grand Rapids: Up to 3 inches
- Mankato: Up to 5 inches
- Worthington: Up to 3 inches
Follow snowfall totals from NEXT Weather Watchers here.
