Waves Of Snow Fall On The Twin Cities, Snow Emergencies Declared
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) —After an early morning wave of snow snarled the morning commute, a second wave of snow is moving over the state and the Twin Cities metro area.
Hundreds of crashes and spinouts were reported as the season's first major snow storm dropped almost 4 inches of snow on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area Monday morning. Maplewood, St. Paul and some of the other cities in the east metro saw 4 inches or more while the west metro only got about half an inch.
Another band of heavy snow moved into the metro area Monday evening, bookending the workday with another slushy commute.
"Future radar shows the slug of moisture continuing to come up from the south," Chief WCCO Meteorologist Chris Shaffer said. "As we get to midnight, we'll see things shutting off a bit and there will be a long lull in the action, but we will see some wraparound snowfall as we continue into the day tomorrow."
Some cities in the metro have declared snow emergencies, including Crystal, Bloomington and St. Louis Park. Meanwhile, Minneapolis has said it will not declare a snow emergency, as crews are already out plowing and treating the streets. (For more snow emergency information, click here.)
With temperatures at or slightly above freezing, the chemicals plows use to treat the roads should be very effective, Shaffer added.
Gallery: November 30 Winter Storm
A number of schools closed early on Monday, and some schools canceled classes for Tuesday. (To see if your school district is closing, visit our school closings page.
The National Weather Service says the heaviest bands of snow should hit the metro between 6 p.m. and midnight. Expected accumulation is between 4 to 6 inches.
A winter storm warning is in effect for southwestern Minnesota, where accumulation could be up to 10 inches. WCCO Weather Watchers in Pipestone were already reporting 8 inches of snow by Monday evening.
As the snow moves north overnight, bands of wraparound flurries will swirl over the state in time for the Tuesday morning commute. Expect delays, although snowfall should be light.
Looking ahead, a warm-up is in store for the weekend, with highs approaching 40 degrees. That could mean significant melting.