Falling snow greeted motorists Monday morning throughout the Twin Cities and beyond, making for the slowest rush hour yet this winter and forcing some school districts to delay the start of classes.
The few inches of snow, still accumulating as daybreak approached, followed a freezing drizzle a day earlier, making for a slick combination.
About two dozen school districts ringing the metro area -- from Hutchinson to the west, to Winona in the south, and into western Wisconsin -- held up the start of classes for a couple of hours or closed altogether.
Among those packing it in for the day are the Rochester, Alma, Blooming Prairie, Byron, Chatfield, Elmwood, Plainview-Elgin-Millville and Wabasha-Kellogg districts.
Top speeds on metro highways were little more than 30 miles per hour. For those who dared go faster, some lost control and more than gave up the time they were trying to save.
Shortly before 7 a.m. on northbound Interstate 35W at 38th Street in Minneapolis, a car sat on the shoulder and was pointing south. At its nose was a State Patrol squad car.
Just before 8 a.m., the Minnesota Department of Transportation was reporting seven crashes that were blocking or slowing traffic on Twin Cities freeways. By 9:30, that number had grown to 11.
"We're seeing mostly single-vehicle crashes, spin-outs and vehicles off the road so far," said patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. "Hopefully it stays that way. However, even if 99 percent of the motorists use common sense on days like today, the 1 percent who don't still can cause significant problems."
