Minnesotans digging out from two-day storm

Clearing driveways and clearing freeways, Minnesotans on Thursday began digging out from a two-day storm that socked much of the state. The storm closed schools and business, shut down highways and forced city dwellers to scramble to find places for their cars.

As conditions improved, the Minnesota Department of Transportation lifted travel warnings across south-central Minnesota and reopened Interstate 90 from Worthington to the South Dakota border just after noon Thursday.

The powerful storm didn't bring quite as much snow as originally forecast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Paige Marten.

"The storm might be a little underperforming, but the impact between a foot and 18 inches is likely the same," Marten said.

Apple Valley led the metro in snow accumulation, with 19.1 inches; Prior Lake at 17.5 inches and Burnsville at 16.9 inches were close behind. Other cities that registered 15 inches or more included Minneapolis, Hopkins, Eagan, Savage, Oakdale and Lakeville, the Weather Service said.

A foot or more was common in several suburbs, the Weather Service added.

Earlier forecasts had the storm as a possible top five contender in total snowfall, but it fell a few inches short. The final total at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport — the official measuring spot for the metro area — was 13.4 inches. It needed to hit 16 inches to make the storm one of the 10 largest in Minnesota since 1884.

Some areas got more, or had snowbanks that piled far higher against buildings. Taunton in southwest Minnesota, for example, received 21 inches. Weather Service offices in Chanhassen recorded 16 inches, but some snowdrifts got up to 24 inches, according to the office's Facebook post.

Rob Daniel heard for days on TV that 16 to 22 inches of snow was coming, but he said he got about half that at his home in Big Lake.

"Seems like every storm they predict is never what they say it is," the self-proclaimed snow hater said. "I wish they could be more accurate."

The dumping, however, was enough for Daniel's employer in New Brighton to give him Thursday off, and he was thankful for that.

"I'll stay home and write songs and hang with my best friend," Daniel said. "It's his birthday so we'll make it a great day. If we get out, we do, or we'll just sing songs. It's a win-win."

Roads on Thursday afternoon in the metro area remained snow-covered and treacherous in places, and plows were still clearing rural freeways and highways. .

"This is not a great time to be out there," said Anne Meyer, a MnDOT spokeswoman.

More than 200 plows were clearing roads in the Twin Cities and hundreds more were on the job in greater Minnesota, she said.

Strong winds were leading to blowing and drifting, covering roads and intersections, creating challenging conditions for plow drivers.

"Front-wheel-drive vehicles are getting stuck making simple turns," the Chaska Police Department said. "The drifts are getting high. Stay off the roads."

From 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, the State Patrol responded to 87 crashes and 102 spinouts statewide. Over the past three days, the agency responded to 3,182 calls to 911, according to a governor's office news release.

Rep. Jeff Brand, DFL-St. Peter, was stuck in the Twin Cities for the storm. On Thursday, he rode along in MnDOT's popular snowplow, Plowy McPlowFace. He didn't see any crashes, but "it was messy, that's for sure," Brand said.

Metro Transit canceled some bus trips Thursday morning as bus drivers couldn't get to work, the agency said, advising riders to "delay travel if you can." At 10 a.m., 32% of buses were running an average of four minutes late. Light-rail trains were on time, the agency said.

The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority said 15% of its buses were running behind schedule. Rochester Public Transit officials suspended two bus routes Thursday, warning other routes would likely experience delays.

The hefty dumping had schools shuttered for a second straight day, with students getting another day off or taking classes online Thursday. In Rochester, Thursday marked the sixth snow day district officials have called this school year.

Close to 240 flights had been scrubbed by 7 p.m. at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com.

Snow emergencies remained in effect in Minneapolis, St. Paul and several Twin Cities suburbs.

In Minneapolis and St. Paul, 2,000 vehicles as of Thursday afternoon had taken advantage of an extraordinary plan offering free covered parking in municipal and private garages.

Untold numbers of vehicles were stashed in garages or friends' homes in the suburbs. On Wednesday night, both cities had ticketed a combined 1,400 vehicles and towed nearly 440 vehicles, but Sean Kershaw, St. Paul's director of public works, said plow drivers told him the streets "felt different" because they were relatively vacant.

Many Allina Health clinics and urgent care centers were closed Thursday, but urgent care locations in Apple Valley, Coon Rapids and Woodbury stayed open. Surgeries and procedures at Allina Health hospitals were still planned.

In what has become the 17th-snowiest winter on record, and a season that has already brought nearly 70 inches of snow, Big Lake's Daniel said he's hoping there isn't much more to come.

"This winter has been terrible," he said. "In two months, we'll be sitting on the deck."

Staff writers Jessie Van Berkel, Trey Mewes, Louis Krauss and Dave Orrick contributed to this report.