GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — UPDATE: Most state highways in SC and SW MN closed at 7 p.m., according to MnDOT.
The snow has stopped falling, but travel over the next two days will remain dangerous as gusty winds and blowing snow could create blizzard and whiteout conditions Thursday and Friday.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, most highways across the state are partially covered in snow as of early Thursday morning, with some roadways around the metro considered "completely covered."
Thursday evening, the Minnesota State Patrol reported troopers responded to an additional 240 crashes, 126 spinouts and one jackknifed semi from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., adding to over 200 incidents reported earlier Thursday morning. MSP said 32 of those incidents caused injury, but none were fatal or serious.
Throughout the day Wednesday, Minnesota State Patrol reported more than 260 crashes on roadways throughout the state, 20 of which included injuries.
On KARE 11 Sunrise Thursday morning, Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesperson Anne Meyer said the conditions we're seeing this week are more typical in January and February, but crews are working around the clock putting down treatment and clearing snow from roadways and ramps.
"Materials don't work as well when it gets this cold, but we do put in treated salt, so we treat our salt and we put an additive into our brine to hep those freezing points, but it will just take longer to get back into the clear because of that," she explained.
On Wednesday afternoon, Meyer said 800 plows were staffed across the state, 200 of those in the Twin Cities metro.
"They will work 12-hour shifts to keep plows on the roads 24 hours/day until roads are back in the clear – and with strong winds blowing snow back onto roadways and extreme cold temps, the clean-up process will take longer," Meyer said.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, 81 flights were canceled, and 68 were delayed at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. For passengers looking to change their travel plans ahead of the holiday weekend, major airlines have issued travel waivers. Click here to see if you're eligible to have change or cancel fees waived for your upcoming flight.
A Winter Storm Warning and Blizzard Warning have been issued for a large portion of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, including the Twin Cities metro.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: