Star Tribune
Whiteout conditions expected as winter storm grips Minnesota
A winter storm battering Minnesota took a brief break Thursday morning after dumping a fresh coat of light fluffy snow. But even as the sun came out, the respite wasn’t expected to last long.
A prolonged period with strong winds will crank up by midday, dropping wind chill readings dangerously low and creating whiteout conditions that threaten to disrupt travel by ground and air for a second straight day.
“Don’t let your guard down,” the National Weather Service said. “Life-threatening conditions develop later today.”
A blizzard warning goes into effect Thursday afternoon in areas of Minnesota west of the Mississippi River while a winter storm warning covers areas east of the river, with both in place through Friday night, the Weather Service said.
“Several hours of whiteout conditions are expected this afternoon onward, even in metropolitan areas,” the Weather Service said. “Conditions worsen the second half of today, becoming extremely dangerous Friday through Saturday morning.”
Temperatures were expected to remain below zero all day in the Twin Cities and most of the state, the Weather Service said. Add in the winds and it will feel like anywhere from minus 30 to minus 45 degrees.
Winds gusting between 40 and 50 mph will create “many hours of whiteout conditions” and make travel “very difficult as roads drift shut.”
There was plenty of snow to blow around after 7.4 inches fell Wednesday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport — the official recording spot for the Twin Cities. That set a new record for Dec. 21.
Other totals included 7.5 inches in White Bear Lake, 7.3 inches in Savage and Shakopee, 6.3 inches in Otsego, 6 inches in Fridley, 5.9 inches in Bloomington and 5 inches in Red Wing, the Weather Service said.
The snow combined with frigid conditions allowed the precipitation to freeze and compact on the pavement, making for a slippery and icy morning commute. At 9:15 a.m., roads in the metro were improving, but several crashes and spinouts littered metro area roads, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.
“Slick spots may abound,” said MnDOT spokeswoman Anne Meyer. While the agency has 200 plows working in the Twin Cities and hundreds more across the state, “it takes longer” in the cold as chemicals don’t work as fast or well. “Crews are out there and we are doing what we can with what we have,” she said.
Overnight through 7:30 a.m. Thursday, the State Patrol responded to 47 crashes and 118 vehicles that had spun out or landed in ditches.
Thursday was to be one of the busiest travel days at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, with 33,000 passengers expected to pass through TSA checkpoints. Most flights left as scheduled, but by 9 a.m., 26 departing flights had been canceled and 21 were delayed, according to the flight tracking website flightaware.com.
Some cargo was also delayed as inclement weather moved east and south across the country. Amazon and FedEx said severe weather could cause delays for those awaiting Christmas deliveries.
“Our delivery promises factor in forecasted weather and delivery dates are shown transparently at checkout,” said Sam Stephenson, an Amazon spokesman. “While the vast majority of deliveries make it to customers without issue, if something does occur, we work with customers directly to make it right.”
Winter break began early for thousands of kids as many schools canceled classes Thursday. In Minneapolis, where winter break was already underway, there was no programming at recreation centers run by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. They were closed Thursday, as was the Phillips Aquatics Center.
In St. Paul, all recreation centers will close at 5 p.m. Thursday and no outdoor activities will be held. The Holiday Express event at Phalen Recreation Center is canceled, the city said.
Downhill ski slopes and tubing facilities at Elm Creek and Hyland Hills park reserves were closed Thursday and will be through Sunday. But trails at all Three Rivers Park District locations remained open.
“If you are brave enough hike trail you can do that,” said spokesman Tom Knisley.
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Osseo, Hastings, Plymouth, Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Eden Prairie, Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park were among metro area cities to declare snow emergencies that continued Thursday.
Here’s a timeline of what to expect over the next three days:
Thursday
Winds will pick up over the next 12 hours, reaching 20 to 30 mph by evening and leading to widespread blowing and drifting and reduced visibility. Wind chill readings will sink to between minus 30 and minus 45 degrees.
Thursday night to Friday
Conditions will be the worst after 6 p.m. Thursday through most of Friday, the National Weather Service said. Peak winds will approach 40 mph between midnight and noon Friday. “Significant travel impacts are likely across the area,” the Weather Service said.
Power outages also are possible as snow still caked on trees from last week’s storm could cause branches to break under the pressure and fall on power lines, the Weather Service said.
Saturday
Dangerously low wind chills will envelop much of central and southern Minnesota through Saturday morning. The lowest readings are expected from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday and again on Saturday morning.
DULUTH – The Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments will make upgrades to the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge in the summer of 2025, in preparation for the structure to become the premiere route between this city and Superior during reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge.
Built in 1961, the Blatnik Bridge carries 33,000 vehicles per day along Interstate 535 and Hwy. 53. It will be entirely rebuilt, starting in 2027, with the help of $1 billion in federal funding announced earlier this year. MnDOT and WisDOT are splitting the remaining costs of the project, about $4 million each.
According to MnDOT, projects on the Bong Bridge will include spot painting, concrete surface repairs to the bridge abutments, concrete sealer on the deck, replacing rubber strip seal membranes on the main span’s joints and replacing light poles on the bridge and its points of entry. It’s expected to take two months, transportation officials said during a recent meeting at the Superior Public Library.
During this time there will be occasional lane closures, detours at the off-ramps, and for about three weeks the sidewalk path alongside the bridge will be closed.
The Bong Bridge, which crosses the St. Louis River, opened to traffic in 1985 and is the lesser-used of the two bridges. Officials said they want to keep maintenance to a minimum on the span during the Blatnik project, which is expected to take four years.
Red Wing will celebrate the grand opening of its first permanent set of pickleball courts next week with an “inaugural play” on the six courts at Colvill Park on the banks of the Mississippi, between a couple of marinas and next to the aquatic center.
Among the first to get to play on the new courts will be David Anderson, who brought pickleball to the local YMCA in 2008, before the nationwide pickleball craze took hold, and Denny Yecke, at 92 the oldest pickleball player in Red Wing.
The inaugural play begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a rain date of the next day. Afterward will be food and celebration at the Colvill Park Courtyard building.
Tim Sletten, the city’s former police chief, discovered America’s fastest-growing sport a decade ago after he retired. With fellow members of the Red Wing Pickleball Group, he’d play indoors at the local YMCA or outdoors at a local school, on courts made for other sports. But they didn’t have a permanent place, so they approached the city about building one.
When a city feasibility study came up with a high cost, about $350,000, Sletten’s group got together to raise money.
The courts are even opening ahead of schedule, originally set for 2025.
REDWOOD FALLS, MINN. – A truck crashing into a school bus left nine with minor injuries Wednesday morning in rural Redwood County, a statement from the Redwood County Sheriff’s office said.
The bus driver, serving the Wabasso Public School District, failed to yield when entering the intersection of County Road 7 and 280th Street, the statement said.
Deputies received word of the crash around 8:15 a.m. and identified the bus driver as Edward Aslesen, 72, of Milroy.
The nine injured passengers on the bus were transported to local hospitals, the statement said.
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