MINNESOTA, USA — Drivers are being asked to stay home and off the roads due to whiteouts and blizzard conditions on highways across the southern and western portions of the state.
The request comes as the Minnesota State Patrol reports troopers have responded to over 1,000 crashes since this winter storm system arrived.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation 511 traffic map, highways stretching from the South Dakota border east to Waseca are closed Friday morning, all the way up to New Auburn.
There is also a significant portion of roadways from Pipestone north to Odessa and east to Glencoe where travel is not advised.
Friday morning, MnDOT District 7, which covers south-central Minnesota (Mankato and Windom), tweeted I-90 reopened after being closed to traffic overnight, only to announce the interstate is closed again to traffic between Albert Lea and the South Dakota border, beginning at 2 p.m.
Also on Friday morning, Swift County Sheriff's deputies posted a video to Facebook announcing a travel ban throughout all of Swift County. The video shows zero visibility on Highway 12, just west of Benson.
Conditions continued to deteriorate in some areas across the state Friday, prompting the Faribault County Sheriff's Office to announce all county roads would also close at 2 p.m. and be shuttered until further notice. Also at 2 p.m., the Brown County Sheriff's Office advised no travel due to the blizzard whiteout conditions. Brown County is located in the south central part of the state, approximately 100 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. Brown County has a population of 25,893 with New Ulm as the largest city.
As of 2 p.m., many other highways remain closed or "not travel advised," including:
- MN 60 between MN 15 and US 169 (closed)
- MN 22 between the start of MN 22 and US 169 (closed)
- US-14 between Laser Avenue and US 169 (closed)
- MN 4 between the start of MN 4 and MN 19 (closed)
- MN-7 between US 59 and Polk Avenue (travel not advised)
- US 71 between 120th Street and MN 55 (travel not advised)
MnDOT says that as of 4:30 p.m., more than 2,000 miles of Minnesota highways are closed.
"'Conditions could be life-threatening if travelers become stranded.' That is worth repeating. So is this: Stay home!" Minnesota State Patrol tweeted Thursday night.
On Friday afternoon, the St. Cloud Police Department reported that a fatal crash occured 24 hours earlier. A 68-year-old man from St. Cloud died from his injuries that he sustained in a crash on slippery roads.
On Friday, State Patrol troopers responded to 496 crashes, 40 of which involved injuries. Another 445 vehicles spun out and four semi trucks jackknifed.
Throughout the day on Dec. 22, officers responded to at least 470 crashes and nearly 300 vehicle spinouts.
A large swath of southern and western Minnesota remains under a Blizzard Warning until 6 a.m. Saturday. During this time motorists could encounter blowing snow that significantly reduces visibility and dangerously cold wind chills.
A Winter Storm Warning that covers the Twin Cities remains in effect until 6 a.m. Saturday and a Wind Chill advisory remain in effect until noon Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Weather continues to impact holiday air travel Friday. As of 5:45 p.m., 146 flights have been canceled at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and another 80 are delayed.
As a major winter storm continues to impact the Midwest and airports across the country just in time for the busy holiday travel season, all major airlines have issued travel waivers for fliers looking to change their plans.
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