NEXT Weather Alert: Possible wind chills as cold as -50º 'til into Saturday

The Minnesota State Patrol reported 98 crashes from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Friday night.

Seven of those crashes involved injury. 

Additionally, there were 99 vehicles that spun out or went off the road.

The Renville County Sheriff tells WCCO there are around 70 motorists currently in shelters that were rescued after getting stuck on roads or in ditches.

The Minnesota National Guard assisted local law enforcement in rescuing motorists in multiple southern Minnesota counties.

Crews reported difficulty helping motorists in Kandiyohi County get to the Willmar Armory for shelter and took them to a nearby fire department for safety.

Gov. Tim Walz has declared a peacetime emergency, authorizing the national guard to help those stranded on the roads.

The winter storms has contributed to over 1,000 crashes this week, and whiteout conditions were reported in southwestern Minnesota.

"Minnesota and the country are experiencing extreme winter weather, dangerous temperatures, and unsafe road conditions," Walz said. "Every Minnesotan deserves a safe holiday, and the Minnesota National Guard will help stranded motorists and ensure everyone can travel safely."

The Renville County Sheriff's Department requested National Guard assistance, and Walz's executive order would allow the guard to provide aid to Minnesotans impacted by the storm.

Minnesota State Patrol says since Wednesday morning, drivers have been in 1105 crashes, and another 1044 drivers have spun out.

94 people have been injured in these crashes.

"All of the challenges we were expecting with that light snow really did happen," said MnDOT Spokesperson Anne Meyer.

Alex Smith has tracked crashes and spinouts for his online "MN Safety" page all week.

"It's been so busy," Smith said. "Our system has struggled under the load. Yesterday, for example, there was more than 1 crash per minute being called into the State Patrol 911 center."

Smith says a number of crashes involved drivers quickly exiting their cars after, only to be in the line of another spinout or wreck.

"I get really nervous seeing that, and we have, unfortunately, seen people get struck on the side of the freeway," he said.

MnDOT closed portions of Highway 90 and I-35 Friday, as winds created blizzard conditions on the ground.

"It's very dicey out there," Meyer said. "We don't want to create new emergencies with folks spinning off the road or having any issues. So we want to make sure roads are clear and better for travel before we reopen those areas."

The Minnesota Department of Transportation tells WCCO that as of 4:30 p.m. Friday that "more than 2,000 miles of Minnesota highways are closed or no travel is advised."

Minnesota Power reports up to 1,200 customers were affected by power outages Friday near the north shore.

High winds took down tree limbs and caused scattered outages in the areas of Duluth, Lakewood Township and Carlton, Minnesota Power says.

As of 3:30 p.m., Minnesota Power says fewer than 600 customers remain without electricity and crews are actively working to restore service.

Southbound Interstate 35 will be closed from Albert Lea to the Iowa state line starting at 4 p.m. Friday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced.

Whiteout conditions also caused the Iowa Department of Transportation to close I-35 from the Minnesota border to Ames, Iowa.

Minneapolis is currently on Day 3 of a snow emergency. The city says that in the past two days, 2,499 tickets have been issued and 324 cars have been towed.

In St. Paul, 1,453 cars were ticketed in the past two days, with 313 tows.

Interstate 90 is set to close again at 2 p.m. between Albert Lea and the South Dakota border.

It had reopened in southwestern Minnesota before noon, but the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed it again due to deteriorating conditions.

Temperatures are frigid all across the U.S., with the chill traveling down to the deep south. The core of the cold is over the upper parts of the midwest - and that can be attributed to the polar vortex.

The polar vortex happens every year. It's a large reservoir of cold air that's centered around the north pole.

The jet stream contains the blob of cold air, but when it weakens - as it has over the last few days - it can allow pieces of the polar vortex to break off and drift southward.

In the first part of 2023, the cold air is expected to break apart, so there's an increasing chance for at-or-above-average temperatures in January.

WCCO political correspondent Pat Kessler puts today's weather into pretty stark perspective.

The Minnesota State Patrol reports that there were another hundred-plus crashes statewide overnight as road conditions continue to remain treacherous.

From 9:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., there were 112 crashes. Of those, 11 crashes did involve injuries, though none were deemed serious, and no fatalities were reported.

There were an additional 140 vehicles that either spun out or left the road, and one jack-knifed semi truck.

We're in the last of a three-day NEXT Weather Alert, and now is hardly the time to be cavalier about the windchills out there. Depending on where you are, it may feel as cold as 50 degrees below zero Friday morning.

If you thought Thursday was bad, and it was – with hundreds of crashes and spinouts -- tomorrow could be even worse because of big-time wind blowing snow into possible white-out conditions.

Many Minnesota roads are covered in compacted snow. Slick, icy spots all over.

"It was difficult driving around, stopping at stop lights and stop signs. You see people skidding around," said University of Minnesota senior Zach Adams. "It's no fun to drive in these conditions."

All these crashes, including a car colliding with a plow, is keeping MnDOT busy.

"Compaction is an issue for crews right now. We're trying to get that off the roadways, but of course when temperatures are this cold, it takes longer for our materials to work," said MnDOT's Anne Meyer.

Strong winds expected Friday will make for dangerous driving, too.

"It's gonna pick up this light snow and blow it back onto roadways in a lot of places, creating additional slick spots. Plus visibility, it's gonna be hard to see in some places just due to this light snow getting back into the air."

Tough conditions, with so many people trying to get home for the holidays.

"Was planning on going up to Brainerd, but that two-hour, two-hour-30-minute drive seems like it might be a five-hour drive," Adams said. "We might stay and pack it in at home."

He has the right idea, because all the experts' advice for Friday is don't travel if you don't have to.

But if you do, make sure to bring an emergency kit with you. We're going to turn toward home ourselves before this wind starts to pick up too much.

If you do have to travel during this winter storm, there are some essential items to bring with you that could save your life.

Jordan Frey works for Summit Fire Protection, braving the roads all day and into the night to help people with frozen pipes – all while hoping not to get stuck on the side of the road.

"We've got jackets, extra sweaters, gloves just in case something does happen, and then hopefully we're prepared for worst case scenario," Frey said.

According to AAA, more than 100 million Americans are driving to their holiday destination this year. And with the forecast, state officials are urging everyone who has to travel in the dangerous weather to be prepared with an emergency car kit.

Kevin Reed is deputy director of Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

"I like to look at it in three things: What do I need if I get stuck? What do I need to communicate to people? And the third, what if I have to stay there for a little bit? How do I sustain myself with either snacks, some water, extra gloves to stay warm, extra blanket, things like that," Reed said.

That kit should also include flares, tow ropes, flashlights, jumper cables and even a shovel or ice scraper.

Worst case scenario, Minnesota's Emergency Management Agency says they have a plan if too many people get stuck.

"How would we help augment state patrol and others with maybe potentially track vehicles from the national guard to help get those stranded motorists off the highway," he said.

It's a good idea to keep your emergency kit somewhere you can reach it in a crash, and not in your trunk.

The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 470 crashes Thursday between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Twelve of the crashes resulted in an injury, but none of them were fatal. Additionally, 323 vehicles spun out and there were two jackknifed semis.

Interstate 90 west of Interstate 35 at Albert Lea is closed starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced.

The closure -- which impacts a 500-mile stretch from Rapid City, South Dakota to Albert Lea -- is due to blowing snow and poor visibility west of Albert Lea.

I-90 remains open to the east from Albert Lea to Wisconsin.  

Several other southwestern Minnesota highways have also been closed.  

MnDOT and the National Weather Service are advising drivers to avoid travel in most of west-central and southwestern Minnesota Thursday night due to blizzard conditions.  

The 12 southwest counties include Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville and Yellow Medicine.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- For truck drivers making their way through Minnesota Thursday, the changing conditions prompted an urgent travel schedule.

"My job is driving job, I have to do it," said Vikasdwp Singh, who had a delivery to make in Winnipeg. "If it's very bad, we will stop and wait until it's clear. If it's a little bit visible, we have to drive."

At the Flying J Truck Stop in Northfield, drivers took a break from the blistering conditions.

"Oh man, it's been bad, man," said Gary Anderson, stopping on his way to Omaha. "A lot of black ice on the road, I've seen a lot of crashes on the way."

"Don't drive if you don't feel safe," Singh said. "Don't go on the road."

"The main thing I would do I would say is slow down," Anderson said. "I see a lot of drivers speeding in the bad weather - slow down, take your time. The most important thing is if you feel uncomfortable, it doesn't matter how dispatch feels about it. If you feel uncomfortable about it, shut down. It's not worth getting in an accident, losing your life or hurting somebody else."

The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 365 crashes between 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

None of the crashes were fatal and 22 involved injury.

Additionally, 220 vehicles spun out or went off-road and there were two jackknifed semis.

The Walker Art Center announced it is closing at 4 p.m. Thursday and will remain closed Friday due to the weather.

In-person screenings of the British Arrow Awards are canceled on both days. Ticket holders can contact the box office to exchange tickets, watch via streaming, or request a refund.

Delays and cancellations are starting to pile up at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

As of 3:30. p.m., there were 76 canceled flights and 60 delays. 

A number of ski hills are closed or will close soon because of the cold weather, and some of them won't reopen until after Christmas.

• Buck Hill: Closed
• Afton Alps: Closing at 4 p.m.
• Hyland Hills Ski Area: Closed
• Welch Village: Closing at 4 p.m.
• Wild Mountain: Closed
• Trollhaugen: Closed

As the weather worsens in western Minnesota, Renville County says it pulled plows off roads while it waits for conditions to improve.

The county is asking residents to stay home if possible due to life-threatening travel conditions.

Buses in the Twin Cities are delayed because of the weather, Metro Transit sys.

Around 3 p.m. , Metro Transit said 42% of its buses were delayed, with an average delay time of 6 minutes. Route 61 is on snow reroute. 

As the winter storm brings in the chill air, CenterPoint Energy is asking customers to help conserve energy.

In order to do so, they're asking Minnesotans to lower their thermostat settings through Sunday. The company says reducing the thermostat to 65 degrees during the day and 60 degrees when customers are asleep or away from home can help limit the impact of higher natural gas prices.

Other ways customers can save energy include checking the furnace filter, keeping the curtains and blinds open during the day, making sure the home is airtight, and lowering the temperature setting on the water heater by 10 degrees.

RELATED: How to save money on heating your home this winter

The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 125 crashes between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Ten of the crashes resulted in an injury, but none of them were fatal. Additionally, 94 vehicles spun out and there was one jackknifed semi.

Since Wednesday night, there have been 172 crashes on state roads, with 14 resulting in an injury.

With all totals tolled, Minneapolis-St. Paul officially received in excess of 8 inches of snow in the latest round of winter weather.

The airport measurement was 8.1 inches, compared to 7 inches measured in Chanhassen, 5 inches in St. Cloud and 4.8 inches in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

The Minnesota State Patrol reports that between 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 7:30 a.m. Thursday, there were 47 new crashes statewide, and an additional 118 vehicles that either spun out or went off the road.

An additional jackknifed semi truck was also reported.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of school closings and delays were announced for Thursday morning as Wednesday's snow is followed-up with Thursday's brutal cold winds.

Click here for the latest closings and delays.

Minneapolis and St. Paul have both declared snow emergencies Wednesday.

MINNEAPOLIS RULES

Parking rules will go into effect at 9 p.m. Wednesday, meaning that parking will not be allowed on snow emergency routes. Motorists risk having their vehicles towed.

At 8 a.m. Thursday, Day 2 rules begin. Plow crews will clear the even sides of non-snow emergency route streets, meaning that motorists need to park on the odd side of the street or until the even side has been cleared. Day 2 rules will last until 8 p.m.

Day 3 rules begin at 8 a.m. Friday, when the odd sides of non-snow emergency streets will be cleared. Motorists will need to park on the even sides of streets or risk being towed.

Motorists whose cars are towed are responsible for paying for the cost of towing and a ticket fee.

ST. PAUL RULES

Starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday, crews will plow all Night Routes, meaning that residents should avoid parking on those streets overnight.

At 8 a.m. Thursday, all Day Routes will be cleared.

Click here for more details.

The Minnesota State Patrol says between 6 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, there have been 266 crashes, including 20 that resulted in injuries. There were also 308 vehicle spinouts and off-road accidents, and two jackknifed semis.