Ah, spring: South metro gets its biggest snowfall

Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune

Bob Chepolis of Eden Prairie and Max the poodle made their way around a snow-covered Lake Harriet early today.

Star Tribune

Last update: March 22, 2008 - 1:14 PM

A snowstorm that targeted a swath of the southern and western Twin Cities Friday dumped the biggest snowfall of the season on communities including Chanhassen, Burnsville and Hastings.

Another 1-2 inches of additional snow may fall today, enough to keep some roads slushy. Most of the snow will be gone by Monday or Tuesday. More light snow, possibly mixed with rain, is expected over the next few days. No big storms or major warmups are forecast and highs should be in the 30s and lower 40s, said National Weather Service forecaster Todd Krause.

Created by a potent mix of two low pressure areas and a cold front, Friday's storm dumped nearly 10 inches of snow on Chanhassen, 8 on Burnsville, and 6 inches on Hastings, Krause said. Red Wing got 10 inches.

But northern suburbs didn't get nearly as much. Weather Service measurements showed less than 2 inches in Forest Lake, for instance. As much as a foot of snow was reported Friday near the North and South Dakota borders.

"To say this is the heaviest snowstorm of the year, that's true for the southern suburbs," Krause said.

The northern suburbs had recorded more snowfall earlier in the season.

Friday's storm contributed to dozens of minor crashes and cars slipping off the highways during the morning in the nine-county metro area, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. But later in the day, roads stayed generally wet rather than snow-packed.

NORMAN DRAPER

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