The wintry mix of snow, sleet, rain and wind were far more kind to Twin Cities residents than their fellow Minnesotans far and wide, where major disruptions are still being felt Monday.

Metro commuters found the major freeways clear and in some spots downright dry as dawn lit their way to their destinations, a day after several inches of snow fell and was mixed with rain and sleet.

Even so, snow emergencies remained in effect in Minneapolis, St. Paul and several suburbs. That means move your vehicle out of the way of snowplows or risk being ticketed and towed. As of late Monday morning, nearly 350 vehicles have been towed.

Beyond the Twin Cities, dozens of schools either extended the weekend by a day for students or by at least two hours. Closed Monday included Bemidji, Grand Rapids and Little Falls. Waiting a bit to allow for conditions to improve were St. Cloud, Fairmont and Glencoe-Silver Lake and others.

Among the deepest snowfall measurements was Carlos in Douglas County with 13 inches, Walker 11 and Hillman 10. Willmar had nearly 8 inches and Two Harbors about 6 inches, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

In the metro area, Forest Lake had 4 inches, Edina and Maplewood about 3 inches, and Burnsville had about 2.5.

Heavy snow and high winds were still dogging the area along Minnesota's border with the Dakotas. The University of North Dakota hockey team, returning Sunday from two games in Omaha, had to pull over in Sisseton, S.D., and hunker down until wrapping up their travels Monday to Grand Forks.

Motorists on other highways in western and northwestern Minnesota had to pull over and wait.

Highway 10 between Moorhead and Audubon and Highway 210 between Fergus Falls and Breckenridge were closed Sunday. State transportation officials reopened both highways Monday morning. However, Interstate 94 between Alexandria and Moorhead remains closed.

Back in the Twin Cities, little more than light snow is in the forecast until early afternoon. The temperatures were expected to creep down during the afternoon, reaching into the low 20s by late afternoon, according to the NWS. Winds, however, were expected to remain strong, possibly gusting up to 30 miles per hour.

For the next couple of days, highs are forecast to be in the upper 20s to low 30s, with little chance of precipitation.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482