Twin Cities commuters endured another slow and treacherous drive to work on Thursday, Feb.19, as roads remained partly or fully covered with snow and ice as the largest snowstorm of the season lingers into its second day.
Light snow was wrapping up in the seven-county metro area at 8 a.m. But in Duluth and along the North Shore, another 1 to 3 inches of snow could fall today, according to the National Weather Service.
“The commute this morning won`t be as ugly as what we saw Wednesday evening, but it will still be slow,” the Weather Service said. “Roads will remain snow-covered through the morning commute.”
The evening commute on Wednesday was a white-knuckle drive for many drivers.
“I have lived in Minneapolis for 12 years and the drive home today was the worst road conditions I’ve ever been in,” Dan Green posted on X. “Roads were completely frozen over and cars were sliding down every hill causing multiple crashes.”
A winter weather advisory stretching from west-central Minnesota through the metro area and into western Wisconsin expired at 8 a.m. An advisory will remain in effect until noon Thursday along the North Shore, the Weather Service said.
Power has largely been restored to thousands of customers who lost electricity on Wednesday in the Arrowhead region, according to poweroutage.us. Some schools on Thursday were opting to open late as crews work to clear roads. Among districts opening two hours late are Hutchinson, Dassel-Cokato, Jordan, New Ulm, Red Rock Central and Watertown-Mayer.
Snow continued to fall Thursday morning across the Arrowhead, where Hwy. 61 has reopened after being closed on Wednesday morning. Residents are digging out from more than 18 inches of snow just north of Two Harbors. Other hefty amounts include 12.6 inches in Scanlon, 11 inches in French River and 7.6 inches in Duluth, according to early reports. One report showed 34 inches in Hovland on the North Shore northeast of Grand Marais, the Weather Service said.
