Blizzard conditions led to scores of crashes Friday morning across northwestern Minnesota and led the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota State Patrol to shut down several major roads, including a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 94 from Fergus Falls to Moorhead.
Whiteout conditions had reduced visibility to almost zero throughout the Red River Valley, and gusty winds, falling temperatures and snow sent dozens of semitrailer trucks and vehicles into ditches and medians, said Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the State Patrol.
"Surfaces are very slick," the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, N.D., reported. "Consider delaying or canceling travel through the morning."
A blizzard warning was in effect until noon in Minnesota from Fergus Falls north to the Canadian border, an area that includedThief River Falls, Crookston, Detroit Lakes and Roseau. The warning also included several counties on the North Dakota side of the Red River, including the cities of Fargo, Grand Forks and Langdon, the Weather Service said.
The inclement weather had several multivehicle crashes blocking roads, MnDOT said.
Conditions were expected to begin improving in the afternoon, the Weather Service said.
In addition to I-94, the following roads were closed for a time:
- Hwy. 10 from Moorhead to Detroit Lakes
- Hwy. 75 from Perley to Wolverton
- Hwy. 9 from Borup to Barnesville
- Hwy. 32 from north of Ulen to Highway 34
- Hwy. 34 from I-94 to Dunvilla
- Hwy. 108 from I-94 to Pelican Rapids
When a road is closed, it is illegal to drive on it, MnDOTwarned. Motorists can be fined up to $1,000 and/or sentenced to 90 days in jail. In addition, if travelers need to be rescued from a closed road, other expenses and penalties will apply, the agency cautioned.
