Storms takes toll on region, state
Published 9:52 am Saturday, February 9, 2019
- Austin Fire Department and Mower County Sheriff’s department deputies work the scene of a rollover on Highway 218 north of Austin. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin area is still dealing with the impact of Thursday’s storm that pounded the entire state of Minnesota, forcing road closures and resulting in over 400 accidents statewide.
White-out conditions resulting from high winds affected travel in much of the state, forcing the closure of Interstate 35 as well as several other roads and highways through the state.
On its Twitter page, the Minnesota State Patrol reported that all roadways in Wilken, Big Stone, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Swift and Traverse counties were closed throughout the night.
Thursday night, Gov. Tim Walz declared a Peacetime State of Emergency and ordered the Minnesota National Guard to provided assistance and emergency relief services for stranded motorists in Renville County, according to a press release from his office Thursday night. The armory in Olivia was opened as a shelter.
Between 3:30-9:30 p.m. the state patrol stated they had 417 reports:
- 149 crashes (seven with injury)
- 249 spinouts
- 19 jack-knifed semis.
Those numbers do not reflect the crashes still being reported early Friday morning.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 511 site was reporting that most roads in the state were either totally covered or partially covered by ice and snow as of around 9 a.m. Friday morning.
Locally, the Mower County Sheriff’s Department that they responded to 16 vehicle assists between 6 p.m. Thursday and early Friday morning. The Austin Police Department assisted with seven accidents Thursday and one Friday.
Reports of snow fall around Austin varied, with Lansing reporting four inches and Austin reporting two and a half inches. Higher totals were reported further north, with places around St. Cloud reporting nine inches of snow.
Along with the wind came bitter cold temperatures that are expected to abate a bit for this weekend with a high of 12 expected Saturday and a high of 19 for Sunday. But with Sunday’s forecast comes a 70 percent chance of snow with 1 to 3 inches possible, followed by another 80 percent chance of snow Monday into Tuesday.
