Storm socks northern Minnesota

by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A two-day storm dumped as much as 18 inches of snow across Minnesota over the weekend, closing a major interstate and prompting snow emergencies in Minneapolis, St. Paul and some suburbs.

The National Weather service reports 18 inches of snow fell in Audubon, about 230 miles northwest of the Twin Cities. Bemidji reported 10 inches of snow, and Hibbing got 8.5 inches of snow. St. Cloud and Duluth both got about 6 inches of snow, but just 1.8 inches fell on the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.

MORE STORM COVERAGE
• Photo gallery: Scenes from the winter storm
• Updraft blog: Storm updates from Paul Huttner
• Forecast: Check cities around Minnesota

Highway 10 between Moorhead and Audubon reopened Monday, as well as Highway 210 between Fergus Falls and Breckenridge and Interstate 94 between Alexandria and Moorhead.

Much of the rest of the state is listed in difficult driving condition, including southeast Minnesota. Freeways in the Twin Cities are listed in fair condition, and are mostly clear, with some patches of snow.

SCHOOLS CLOSED

Duluth, Itasca, International Falls and Grand Rapids are among northeastern Minnesota school districts canceling classes because of poor road conditions. In western Minnesota, which was hit hard by the storm, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes and Moorhead schools are among those calling off classes Monday.

DAKOTAS HIT HARD

Interstate 29 remains closed between Sioux Falls, S.D. and Grand Forks, N.D. I-94 in North Dakota is closed between Fargo and Jamestown, and I-90 in South Dakota is closed between Sioux Falls and Wall. No travel is advised in other parts of the region.

The storm that brought heavy snow and strong winds contributed to numerous accidents, including a seven-vehicle chain-reaction crash on I-94 in southeastern North Dakota. The Highway Patrol says there were only minor injuries.

Patrol troopers and snowplow drivers rescued several stranded motorists in the region. Officials in the southeastern North Dakota town of Fairmount opened an emergency shelter for nearly three dozen stranded motorists.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.