Light snow and icy patches made for a slow metro rush hour Friday evening, with dozens of collisions, spinouts and vehicles off the road.

Driving was deemed "fair" in the metro but was "difficult" north of the metro, including west of Hinckley on Hwy. 23. Conditions were also dicey along Hwy. 10 in north-central Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and state troopers.

In Rice County, south of the metro, a crash on northbound Interstate 35 between Exit 55 and Hwy. 60 was blocking traffic, slowing traffic to a crawl.

In the metro, rush-hour drivers inched along a snowy Crosstown Hwy. 62. And at 5:30 p.m., a crash on southbound Interstate 35W at Diamond Lake Road blocked off the left shoulder and left traffic backing up.To the north of the metro, the State Patrol reported that Hwy. 10 saw at least eight traffic incidents, mostly rollovers, in Cass, Clay and Becker counties, with the bulk coming following an afternoon snowfall.

"People [are] driving way too fast out here on these slippery roads," Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow said. "No serious injuries. I think one had minor injuries. So we've been pretty lucky. Most of them had been buckled up."

Metro Transit reported at 6 p.m., that only 24 percent of buses were on time, with an average delay of 17 minutes.

Near Hinckley, snowdrifts were beginning to accumulate on the roads as night fell.

And in the Red River Valley area, Hwy. 2, driving conditions were again rough with blowing snow drifting onto the roadway and reduced visibility.

Joy Powell • 612-673-7750