Southern Minnesota got the brunt of this weekend’s long-lasting snowstorm, with some of the highest totals centered around Rochester, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologist Brennan Dettmann said the Rochester area recorded 7 to 8.5 inches in the past 48 hours — the highest amounts coming from within the city itself. Totals tapered off steadily to the north.
“As you head toward the Twin Cities, you get that gradient,” Dettmann said, noting 6 to 7 inches around the Mankato corridor and about 6 inches on the south side of the metro. Downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul saw roughly 5 inches, with around 4 inches on the north side.
Dettmann said the storm, which started Friday night, didn’t pack heavy intensity at any one moment, but its duration made it notable. “It snowed for over 24 hours — closer to 30 hours in the Twin Cities — and it was a pretty steady snow that was able to just pile on throughout that time,” he said.
The storm prompted cities around the metro, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, to declare snow emergencies to help with clean up efforts.
In the past 24 hours, state troopers responded to 417 crashes — including 24 non–life threatening injuries — along with 399 spinouts or vehicles off the road that needed tow assistance and 11 jackknifed semis, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Among those crashes was a 5-vehicle pileup about 1:25 p.m. Saturday near Northfield that sent two people to area hospitals with injuries that were not life threatening. A semitrailer truck was being pulled out of a ditch at Interstate 35 and Highway 19 and the driver of a vehicle failed to see the semi, which led to the chain of crashes on icy roads.
The snowfall may feel unusual after a relatively quiet start to the season, Dettmann said, but November typically brings about 7 inches on average.
