weather013008

Winds, white-outs lash the state; wind chill could hit -45

Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune

The jets that mark the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport were barely visible through blowing snow on Tuesday, conditions that caused numerous accidents and forced closure of two major highways in the area. Authorities said they expected the roads to reopen today. The frigid weather, however, is expected to continue until Thursday.

By PATRICE RELERFORD and M.L. SMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: January 30, 2008 - 12:42 AM

Morning commuters, brace yourself.

In the Twin Cities, the temperature at daybreak will hover between 18 below and 22 degrees below zero, and windchills could plummet to 45 below. A windchill warning will be in effect until noon today.

On Tuesday, blizzard conditions dumped between 1 and 3 inches of snow on central, southern and eastern Minnesota. The bigger problem, though, was windblown snow that reduced visibility to almost zero in some spots. The storm closed portions of two major highways and caused dozens of accidents in southern Minnesota.

In southeastern Minnesota, wind gusts that created white-outs shut down Interstate 35W from Owatonna to Albert Lea at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. State Patrol Maj. Kent O'Grady said the road would probably reopen by morning.

"Once the wind dies down, that will solve the visibility problem,'' he said. "Then we can get this mess cleaned up and open it for traffic."

By early evening, the State Patrol reported about 75 crashes and incidents of vehicles veering off the road or stalling in that area, he said.

"The problem is that visibility is down to zero," O'Grady said. Intermittent white-outs caused motorists to stop, then their cars got hit from behind, he said.

The National Guard Armory in Owatonna was opened briefly to take in stranded motorists but was closed late in the day. Nine travelers who sought refuge there were sent to hotels, O'Grady said.

Wind gusts reached up to 50 miles per hour in the south-central and southeastern portions of the state, the National Weather Service said.

Hazardous driving conditions also prompted state officials to close the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near Rochester in southeastern Minnesota between St. Charles and Dover.

AAA call centers across Minnesota received more than 1,100 calls Tuesday. It's about 150 more than their average daily call volume, said AAA spokeswoman Gail Weinholzer.

Car-towing and repair businesses around the metro area expect to deal with higher call volumes today from customers with dead batteries or other weather-related problems.

Several school districts closed or let students out early Tuesday. They included districts in northeastern Minnesota, including Duluth, and in southern and southeastern Minnesota, including Rochester. More than 100 school districts will be closed or planned late starts for today.

More than 1,400 Minneapolis homes and businesses lost power for about 40 minutes beginning at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday after an Xcel Energy cable failed, spokesman Tom Hoen said. The cable, located downtown, was replaced and service was restored.

The cold is expected to ease Thursday, with a predicted high of 15. On Friday, highs will reach 20 to 25 degrees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. prelerford@startribune.com • 612-673-4395 mlsmith@startribune.com • 612-673-4788