GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Winter weather conditions across the state have continued to cause widespread traffic delays, flight disruptions, vehicle crashes and spinouts Wednesday as snow continues to fall across the state.
Wednesday morning, Minneapolis and St. Paul both issued snow emergencies, which went into effect at 9 p.m. in both cities. Click here for a list of other metro-area cities that have issued snow emergencies. The city of Minneapolis said it was clearing arterial streets overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, but waited to declare a snow emergency because snow was still falling.
Due to the dangerous driving conditions, garbage collection in Minneapolis has been delayed. Crews have stopped work on Wednesday but expect collections to resume on Thursday. "Any Thursday pickups not completed on Thursday will be done on Friday, and Friday work may be completed on Saturday if needed. Please shovel out your carts and leave them at your pickup location until they are serviced," the city of Minneapolis posted on their website.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, St. Paul police asked the public to limit driving until the road conditions improve, as they've encountered numerous vehicles that are "stuck and blocking roadways."
Ahead of the snow emergency rules taking effect at 9 p.m. Wednesday in St. Paul, Ashleigh Moss frantically tried to move her car away from a night plow route near Grand Avenue.
"We're making progress," Moss said as she shoveled. "I got all the snow off the car. My friendly neighbor here is slowly digging me out. But the question now is: Where do I move it to?"
Minneapolis police similarly asked for drivers to "avoid unnecessary travel today" while road crews worked to clear city streets, and to allow access for first responders in case of any emergencies.
From 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. today, the Minnesota State Patrol reported 42 vehicle crashes, including three with injuries, 112 vehicle spinouts and 3 jackknifed semis. Fortunately, none of the crashes were serious or fatal, according to a social post from the state patrol.
While roads and highways across the state are still partially or completely covered in snow and ice, as of 12:00 p.m. there are no roadways where travel is not advised, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation 511 map.
One of those crashes, in Wright County, was fatal, according to Minnesota State Patrol. A 36-year-old man whose car was in a ditch on the right side of Highway 24 was struck and killed by another driver Tuesday night.
As of 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, 114 flights have been canceled at MSP. That's out of some 800 flights or so that come in and out of the airport every day, according to Jeff Lea, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Lea added that a lot of the cancellations are considered a "hangover" from the bad weather on Tuesday. Another 65 flights are delayed as of 1:00 p.m. Major airlines have issued travel waivers for this week as snow and winter weather continues to impact the Midwest.
On Tuesday night, Delta Air Lines confirmed a jet slid off a taxiway at MSP shortly after arrival. No injuries were reported among the 147 passengers aboard the aircraft, which had just landed from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Snow totals in the metro area continue to climb, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In the metro area, snowfall totals through noon Wednesday reached 12.2 inches at MSP Airport, 8 inches in Eagan and around 13.1 inches in Bloomington.
Metro Transit says a "sewer issue" has stopped Blue and Green Line trains from travelling through downtown Minneapolis. The trains are "reversing directions at US Bank Stadium Station until further notice," according to a Metro Transit social post. Riders are encouraged to use the Bus Rapid Transit D Line to travel through downtown right now.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: