Twin Cities roads littered with crashes as storm impacts commute

Twin Cities roads are littered with spinouts and crashes Wednesday morning thanks to slick roads caused by a wintry mix of precipitation, in addition to some freezing rain. 

"Freezing rain overnight and early this morning may result in slick conditions during the morning commute. The freezing rain is turning to sleet and snow across eastern Minnesota, however it may transition to rain for a time later this morning and afternoon as temperatures rise into the mid 30s," says the National Weather Service. 

MnDOT's traffic map below shows numerous pink markers, which represent crashes and spinouts. 

"Black ice is very hard to spot. Slow down and assume there will be icy patches on roadways early this morning. Elevated surfaces, such as overpasses, are most likely to develop black ice," the National Weather Service added. 

The precipitation is part of a large storm system affecting Minnesota and Wisconsin with wintry weather Wednesday and Thursday, while a severe weather outbreak is happening in the Deep South.