The rain has hampered the commute in the west and north metro this morning, especially in 94 coming in from Rogers to Maple Grove.

The good news is that congestion is loosening and things are slowly returning to normal. Still plan on 15 minutes from Rogers to Maple Grove.

Traffic on southbound 494 also is improving from 94 down to 394. Plan on 15 minutes there.

We still have pockets of tight traffic on westbound 94 from Johnson Pkwy. to Lexington Avenue, westbound 36 from Hwy. 61 to Snelling Avenue and northbound 35W from Crosstown to 26th Street.

It's crash clean up on southbound 35E at County Road J that is causing delays from Main Street to the scene. Ahead, it's smooth sailing and a 15-minute trip to University Avenue.