MINNEAPOLIS — The spring storm lingering over Minnesota since Sunday has taken a few forms - light, pretty snow flakes suitable for a post card, heavy wet glop and as of Monday, driving rain - but the one thing that has remained constant is the system's impact on the roads below.
Rain began turning to ice around 6 a.m., just before the morning commute kicked off Tuesday, and then to a full-out snow by 7:30 or so. KARE 11's John Zeigler says snow should continue falling until 1 p.m. or so, with an additional 1 to 3 inches of precipitation possible.
Impact on the roads is evident from new numbers released by the Minnesota State Patrol. Between 9:30 p.m. Monday and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, troopers responded to 319 crashes (23 with injury) and an additional 290 vehicles that either spun out or left the road. The patrol says 31 semis jackknifed during that 24-hour period.
According to KARE 11 meteorologist Belinda Jensen, Wednesday's morning commute could be slick, too. After the snow turned back over into rain, temperatures are expected to tumble into the teens overnight, triggering a refreeze and leaving conditions icy Wednesday morning.
Both highways and neighborhood streets will continue to be slick with moisture from the rain/sleet freezing up. As is usually the case, bridge decks and ramps present the biggest danger. Drivers hear this often during a Minnesota winter, but reminders never hurt.
Don't use cruise control - It can kick in and accelerate on a slope or bridge deck, causing your vehicle to spin out.
Increase following distance - Having additional room between your vehicle and the one in front gives a driver more time to react should something get sideways.
Try not to hold the steering wheel in a "death grip" - With a lighter grip your arms stay relaxed, and because of that more feedback from the wheel is transferred to your brain about what the vehicle is doing.
Reduce speeds - Again, you will have more time to react to changing situations if driving at a reduced speed.
Stay away from plows - They may not be able to see smaller vehicles in blind spots, and the basic laws of physics apply here.... they are WAY bigger than you.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more WeatherMinds:
Watch the latest deep-dives and explainers on weather and science in our YouTube playlist: