Twin Cities see first substantial snowfall of 2025
MINNEAPOLIS — The first snowfall of 1 inch or more since mid-December arrived Monday in the Twin Cities, leading to a messy and slow morning commute.
About an inch of accumulation was measured at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport — the most snow the area has dealt with since Dec. 19, 2024.
Most of the metro and western Wisconsin saw anywhere between a trace and 2 inches.
Central Minnesota had the most snow stack up, with 3-5 inches reported in the Alexandria area.
The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 83 crashes between midnight and 8 a.m.; one was fatal and four resulted in injuries. About two dozen vehicles went off state roads, at least five vehicles spun out and one semi jackknifed.
The state patrol confirmed the fatal crash between and sedan and a semi happened just after 6:30 a.m. in the area of Interstate 494 and Highway 169 in Bloomington. The sedan driver, a 45-year-old woman from Shakopee, was killed when her vehicle "spun and slid from the right lane through all lanes of traffic," the state patrol says. The semi, driven by a 76-year-old Eagan man, then crashed into her driver's side. He wasn't hurt.
The Minnesota State Patrol also says there was a head-on crash just before 9 a.m. on Highway 10 in Becker. Both drivers are hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The snow caused several schools in western and central Minnesota to delay classes on Monday morning.
"It's almost like having a first snowfall, every snowfall," said Anne Meyer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Anne Meyer. "Because we're so out of the routine of winter this season and these snows can be a little tricky."
"It's almost like having a first snowfall, every snowfall," Minnesota Department of Transportation's Anne Meyer said. "Because we're so out of the routine of winter this season and these snows can be a little tricky."
Meyer says the more snow equals more impact on the roadways, but don't let your guard down with lighter snowfall.
"It really won't take much to catch your tire, catch you off guard," she said.
It's why MnDOT is reminding drivers to stay alert, slow down and leave space between vehicles during winter weather events — and a little patience won't hurt either.
"Everything MnDOT does takes time," Meyer said. "So it takes time for our crews to get to every roadway. It takes time to get material done. It takes time for that material to work, but its all working in our favor."
The WCCO NEXT Weather Team says Wednesday brings a chance of light snow in the metro, and the next best shot at shovelable snow comes Saturday.