Nearly 10 inches of snow in Lakeville; north metro sees far less

Twin Citians, at least those in the southern half of the metro area, awoke Monday to several inches of snow, while the northern suburbs saw little to none.

To the south and east of the metro, however, deeper snowfall totals created an unexpected three-day weekend for students in several school districts. There were no classes Monday for public school students in Rochester, Faribault, Zumbrota, Pine Island and Byron.

Others in that part of the state were given a couple extra hours to get started. Also on the sleep-in-later list were a few on the southwestern edge of the Twin Cities, among them Belle Plaine, Jordan and New Prague.

Lakeville led the way in snowfall in the metro area with 9.8 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Prior Lake was close behind at 9.5. Other communities to the north, however, came in far below those depths. There was 2.5 inches in Maple Grove and 2.3 inches in downtown St. Paul. Golden Valley reported 1.8 inches and Victoria 1.3.

Elsewhere in the state, Oronoco and Hammond, near Rochester, saw the deepest snow totals. They both came in at 10.5 inches, the NWS said.

The NWS envisions the Twin Cities area toggling above and below freezing for the next several days. Starting Tuesday, moisture is being tossed into the mix. That means sometimes snow, sometimes rain and sleet starting Tuesday and lasting possibly into Thursday.

Paul Walsh