MINNEAPOLIS — Check the live KARE 11 radar, traffic map, closings and delays, and weather.
Snow and ice slowed traffic to a crawl during the Tuesday evening rush hour in the metro, leading to dozens of crashes and hours-long commutes for many.
Most roads were still slippery from Monday's ice, and Tuesday brought snow on top of that. The Minnesota State Patrol says between noon and 9 p.m., there were 149 crashes, 16 with injuries. They also reported that 242 vehicles spun out or went off the road, and three semis jackknifed.
Viewers reported to KARE 11 en masse that their commutes were taking two to two and a half hours.
The state patrol posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday, with Lt. Gordon Shank reminding drivers to plan ahead, slow down, buckle up, and give plenty of following distance and space to plows.
The combination of ice and snow is making it hard for towing companies to keep up, as well.
KARE 11 called about a dozen metro towing companies on Tuesday. Most either didn't answer their phone or said they were slammed and couldn't talk.
But Schmit Towing in Fridley did say this winter they've had a record number of calls.
On a day with dry roads, they normally get about 75 calls. The last few days, they say they've been getting about 125 calls a day.
"It's very chaotic," said Schmit Towing President Steve Schmit. "We have multiple phone lines ringing. We have four to five people in the office answering calls, sorting out the priority calls and trying to help as many customers as we can."
Schmit says if you're stuck on the side of the highway, picking you up will be a priority, but you still might have to wait.
But If you're stuck somewhere out of harm's way, like your work parking lot, they consider that a low priority call and you might have to wait a day, maybe even two, before your car gets towed.