MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's March weather is never guaranteed, but as of Friday night, we'll no longer have to wonder whether we'll go out like a lion or a lamb.
A spring storm system that's sweeping across the state is expected to bring several inches of snow by the time all is said and done Saturday morning, with high winds prompting a blizzard warning for the southern portion of the state — which includes the Twin Cities metro.
By 7 p.m., driving conditions had already started to deteriorate, causing several crashes in Chisago County on Interstate 35 near Rush City and Wyoming.
Later Friday, the Minnesota State Patrol reported 177 crashes, none of which were fatal, from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Another 155 vehicles dealt with spinouts and five semi trucks were jackknifed during that period.
Authorities warned drivers should stay off the road unless absolutely necessary.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, snow and heavy slush started to accumulate on portions of roadways in the northeastern part of the state by 7:30 p.m. Parts of Interstate 94 and Highways 210, 27, 9, 108 and 75 remained completely covered as of 10 p.m.
In West St. Paul, a snow emergency was declared ahead of the storm, which was set to begin at 2 a.m. Saturday.
The KARE 11 weather team says 1 to 2.5 inches of snow per hour are predicted to fall throughout Friday night. The snow, combined with wind gusts up to 40 mph, is expected to create whiteout conditions.
The Twin Cities metro could see 4 to 8 inches of snow or more if the heaviest band lingers longer than is forecast.
As skies clear on Saturday, noticeably warmer temperatures are predicted to move in by Sunday.
WATCH: The view from KARE 11 in Golden Valley as the storm moved in Friday evening.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire 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 KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
