ST PAUL, Minnesota — With snow in the forecast for Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is preparing for a potentially messy commute.
"Temperature is clearly something we're paying attention to," said Anne Meyer, a MnDOT spokesperson. "One or two degrees could really impact that type of precipitation and we might see what we saw on Saturday."
Icy roads on Saturday morning led to hundreds of crashes and a no travel advisory for the Twin Cities metro area. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, troopers responded to 470 crashes between Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. Two of the crashes were fatal.
While roads in the Twin Cities were calm on Sunday, Meyer said their crews are now preparing for snow on Monday.
KARE 11 Meteorologist JD Disharoon says snow should be light and scattered for the morning commute but by the afternoon, snow will become heavy which could lead to a dicey drive home. Those in the metro could see 3-6 inches of snow with the highest amounts in the east metro.
"We've been warmer than we typically are this late in December and that clearly has had an impact on the type of precipitation that we're getting, on what we're able to do. So timing, temperature, traffic, all those factors really impact what we're able to do on the roadways," Meyer said.
MnDOT crews will come in at midnight and pretreat some bridges and ramps with brine.
"Salt is really something we'll really do after a storm. We don't put down a lot of salt, even when it's snowing, because we'll plow that away and it'll just go into the ditch," Meyer said. "We really are putting a lot of technology behind our decision making. It's not just dump salt and go."
While it was quiet day in the Twin Cities, west central Minnesota was hit with whiteout conditions on Sunday.
Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow spent his day responding to stranded vehicles. One jackknifed unit temporarily blocked a part of I-94 WB near Barnesville.
"A lot of folks just driving too fast on these poor conditions. We do have several no travel advisories throughout much of this region on a lot of those roadways here. I just want people to know what's going on out here as far as slippery roads, limited visibility and things like that that are making travel very difficult," Sgt. Grabow said.
As of Sunday night, Sgt. Grabow said troopers continued to stay busy responding to crashes and vehicles sliding off the road.
As of 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, troopers in west central Minnesota had responded to 15 crashes and an additional 32 vehicles that ran off the roads and required assistance.
If you find yourself stuck or stranded, Sgt. Grabow recommends staying in the vehicle while calling for help.
Before heading out, you can check updates on road conditions, here.