Storm dumps up to 9 inches of snow on metro; St. Paul, other cities declare snow emergencies

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  Vehicles navigate on snowbound freeway

  Vehicles navigate southbound I-35W in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tweeted Tuesday afternoon that its runways were closed due to fast snowfall rates and reduced visibility. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches (10) of snow on the ground at the airport by noon. (Ellie Roth / Pioneer Press)

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  Pedestrians navigate Tuesday’s snowfall on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus

  Pedestrians navigate Tuesday’s snowfall on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus on Nov. 29, 2022. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tweeted Tuesday afternoon that its runways were closed due to fast snowfall rates and reduced visibility. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches (10) of snow on the ground at the airport by noon. (Ellie Roth / Pioneer Press)

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  A plane is de-iced on a snowy airport.

  A Delta Airlines jet is de-iced at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. A winter storm is bringing several inches of snow to much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin today. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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  Snow falls at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, with an American flag on one headstone, and evergreen wreaths.

  A U.S. flag waves above a snow-dusted headstone at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. A winter storm is predicted to bring five to nine inches of snow to much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin today. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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The Twin Cities’ biggest winter storm of the season snarled traffic, closed schools and caused delays at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Tuesday.

As the snowfall began to taper off about 4 p.m., some areas of the metro reported totals of up to 9 inches, and several cities had declared the season’s first snow emergencies, including St. Paul, West St. Paul, Minneapolis, Richfield and Bloomington.

Between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., the Minnesota State Patrol responded to 387 crashes, 41 of which resulted in injuries, though none was serious or fatal. Another 285 vehicles had spun out or left the roadway, and 33 semitrailer trucks had jackknifed, the State Patrol reported.

One such disabled semi caused a portion of Interstate 694 to close on Tuesday night in Oakdale.

OAKDALE: NB I-694 at County Road 14. The freeway is closed for business. pic.twitter.com/XejgBPQLE2

— MN Safety (@SafetyAlertsMN) November 30, 2022

Meanwhile, runways at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport closed shortly after 2 p.m. due to heavy snowfall and low visibility, according to the MSP Airport Twitter feed. One runway had reopened by 4:30. Travelers should check on their individual flights for cancellations and delays.

A winter storm warning that was scheduled to expire at 6 p.m. was extended for three hours, though any further accumulation Tuesday evening was expected to be light, said Mike Griesinger, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen.

“But that doesn’t mean the roads will magically clear off,” Griesinger said.

Crews with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, counties and municipalities will be busy working on that overnight.

In St. Paul, night plow routes were scheduled to be cleared beginning at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Vehicles not moved from night plow routes were subject to being ticketed and towed. Day plow routes were scheduled for plowing starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

More information, including a sign-up for text alerts, is online at stpaul.gov/snow.

West St. Paul imposed no parking rules, enforced by towing, on major streets such as Annapolis, Dodd, Robert and Stryker beginning at 2 a.m. Wednesday and enforceable by towing until fully plowed. No parking on all other streets and alleys was scheduled to go into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday until the street is fully plowed or until 8 p.m., whichever comes first.

Snowfall totals were heaviest along a diagonal band that stretched roughly from south-central Minnesota northeast to western Wisconsin. By Tuesday evening, an accumulation of 9 inches was reported in North St. Paul, and 8.5 inches were reported in St. Peter, Minn., Burnsville and Birchwood Village, on White Bear Lake. The Twin Cities airport had officially measured 8.4 inches as of 6 p.m.

St. Paul Public Schools and the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district canceled most after-school activities, while other metro districts dismissed students early.

In Stillwater, students were released from school about noon, and all after-school activities and evening events were canceled.

Even though the snow was expected to taper off Tuesday evening, there were going to be strong winds overnight and into Wednesday, said Tyler Hasenstein, a NWS meteorologist. That could result in blowing snow and reduced visibility for motorists. Driving conditions may be slick Wednesday as well.

Statewide road condition information is available at 511mn.org.

The snowfall should stick around in the Twin Cities for at least the next two weeks as there isn’t a significant warm-up expected, except perhaps Friday with highs in the 40s. Temperatures going into the first week of December are trending below normal, with highs in the mid 20s and 30s.

The forecast for the week ahead doesn’t include any significant chances of additional snowfall.

Olivia Stevens contributed to this report. 

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