First major snow of season leads to hundreds of crashes across Minnesota

Minnesota got its first winter blast on Monday, bringing with it traffic headaches, crashes and spinouts across the metro area.

The snow was "just enough to make it slick enough for everybody to forget how to drive," said James Betz, who owns Superior Towing and Recovery. He towed about 20 cars by about 3 p.m. and expected to double that number by the end of Monday.

Much of the Twin Cities saw accumulations of 2 to 3 inches. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport measured 4 inches by Monday evening, said Mike Griesinger, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.

"Today was a good reminder that when it snows, to slow down and add some time to your commute," he said.

The Minnesota State Patrol reported 244 crashes statewide with 21 injuries from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday. There were also 104 vehicle spin outs and two jackknifed semi trucks.

The State Patrol is also investigating a crash that killed a 57-year-old man from Burnsville on Highway 62 at Shady Oak Road in Minnetonka. He died after he lost control of his vehicle, struck a concrete wall and collided with a school bus on the icy road on Monday.

No one on the school bus sustained injuries.

"We will see a lot of snow flying but it won't amount to much," Griesinger said.

Northeast Minnesota received the most snow. Grand Marais measured 5.8 inches, according to the Weather Service. Hovland, north of Grand Marais, measured the most with 9 inches by Monday evening.

Central Minnesota saw about 1 to 2 inches of snow, and parts of southern Minnesota saw 2 to 4 inches.

Morning traffic was at a near standstill in some parts of the metro area, Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras showed.

In Bloomington, a driver spun out on northbound Hwy. 169 near Interstate 494 and the vehicle became wedged under a stalled semitrailer truck. The car's driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Bloomington fire officials said.

Rachael Carl, 24, said the snow didn't slow her down on Monday. "I loved seeing the snow this morning, but I work from home so that probably changed my perspective," she said.

Poppy, a tan German shepherd mix, galloped through the snow Monday evening playing with her owner, Kevin Skadsheim, 37, at B.F. Nelson Park in Minneapolis.

He wasn't nervous driving in the snow with an all-wheel drive vehicle, but the new snowfall did surprise him, Skadsheim said as he tossed a tennis ball.

"I'm not a fan of winter, but I'll take the snow," Skadsheim said. "If everything is going to be dead, it's nice to have the snow anyways."

The snow likely inspired a few ski enthusiasts in the area.

The snow "definitely reminded or prompted them to think about whether they purchased a pass or if they wanted to come out and snowboard or ski," he said. Although the snow on Monday was not enough for Mount Kato to open sooner than expected — opening around Thanksgiving is anticipated — it did help, Nelson said.

"It's good that we have snow early. … It gets people interested," he said. "But then it also kind of compresses the time frame that we have to get ready for the season."