Winter weather warnings, advisories updated

I-94 crash
Authorities round up pigs along Interstate 94 near Barnesville, Minn., Sunday, April 14, 2013 after a crash involving three semitrailers.
AP Photo/Sgt. Jesse Grabow, Minnesota State Patrol

Nearly 7 inches of snow fell in parts of northern Minnesota in the last 24 hours, causing some problems for drivers.

MnDOT says the roads in the Red River Valley, as far east as Alexandria, are in difficult winter driving condition. Observers reported 6.5 inches of snow in the Moorhead area by midnight last night, and eastbound Interstate 94 near Barnesville was closed from Sunday afternoon until just after 1:30 a.m., because of a crash involving three semis, including a pig hauler and a cattle truck.

Interstate 94 was closed west of Moorhead all the way to Montana. It is now closed between Bismarck and Dickinson, but all other stretches have been reopened.

Weather officials report 9 inches of new snow in Valley City, N.D., an hour west of Moorhead.

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Transportation officials have reopened Interstate 29 between Fargo and Grand Forks in eastern North Dakota and U.S. Highway 83 between Bismarck and Underwood in the central part of the state.

However, they are still advising no travel because of the record-setting snow storm.

In Duluth, the National Weather Service says the 4.1 inches of snow that fell Sunday has broken a record for the snowiest February through April period in recorded history, with 68.8 inches. That's about a quarter-inch more than the record set in 1950.

In west central Minnesota, the Ice Storm Warning that had been in effect for Traverse and Big Stone counties has been discontinued and replaced by a Winter Weather Advisory. Several inches of snow and sleet are likely there.

The mixed precipitation in the Twin Cities metro area will continue for a while this afternoon before changing over to all rain. As a result, the Winter Weather Advisory for the metro area has been extended until 4 p.m.

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Meteorologist Bill Endersen contributed to this report via the Updraft blog.