Multiple crashes, spinouts in Twin Cities as snow falls Tuesday morning
A fresh snowfall put Minnesota drivers in a bind for the morning commute, with the Twin Cities under a winter storm warning through Tuesday evening.
According to MN 511, dozens of drivers were involved in crashes, spin-outs or seen stalled out on metro area highways during the morning rush hour.
Here's a look at the situation at 8:35 a.m., with a short stretch of I-694 seeing a series of incidents.
An update around 9:10 a.m. showed crashes and spin outs were still occuring, with a cluster happening on I-35 near Forest Lake, heading southbound towards White Bear Lake.
The National Weather Service said up to a half foot of snow could fall in parts of the metro, with some local areas seeing even more. The warning is active until 6 p.m.
Just after 10 a.m., the Minnesota State Patrol said 139 total crashes were reported with seven injuries, 53 vehicle spin-outs and three semi-trucks jackknifed. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.
The weather is expected to create slick road conditions for both the morning and evening commutes.
Multiple crashes were identified on Hwy 36 in Maplewood and Interstate 694 Oakdale.
Another car was seen spun out into a ditch off Hwy 610 in Brooklyn Park.
Other crashes were noted off of I-694 in White Bear Lake, Interstate 494 in St. Paul and Interstate 35W near Bloomington.
The state patrol said one of the crashes involved someone hitting a Minnesota Department of Transportation plow truck on Hwy 100 near the Glenwood exit ramp. No one was injured in the crash.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said plows were active early Tuesday morning in preparation for the incoming snow. According to MN 511 plow cameras, a vast majority of roads were still being plowed during the 8 a.m. hour.
Waze Citizen reports also noted ice on many metro roads.
The state patrol is expected to provide an official number of crashes later on Tuesday. The law enforcement agency provided some tips for drivers, stating it's poor driving that causes crashes, not snow.
You can check out the latest road conditions on MN 511 here.
