Storm barrels into region
Published 4:30 pm Saturday, December 26, 2015
The Austin area may have dodged another bullet with this weekend’s storm that dumped a tad over 10 inches of snow in the Sioux Falls, S.D. area, but it may not get so lucky with another system inching across the midwest.
That National Weather Service predicts the area could see anywhere between four and eight inches of snow by the time everything is said and done.
Snow will begin falling after 1 p.m. Monday and could be accompanied by brisk winds that could gust as high as 34 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible with another 3 to 5 inches possible Monday night.
Looking into early Tuesday morning snow could mix with rain, mainly before 7 a.m. with a chance for more snow to follow.
Later in the week, temperatures will take a dip with the mercury falling to single digits Wednesday night and New Year’s Eve.
State patrol responds to over 150 crashes
(AP) — The Minnesota State Patrol says it has responded to over 150 crashes statewide after a winter storm left a layer of snow across much of southern Minnesota.
The Patrol says 11 of those accidents involved injuries but none were fatal or serious. The Patrol also reported nearly 150 vehicles that had spun out or left slippery roads as of just before noon Saturday.
The National Weather Service says Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport had 2 inches of snow by 6 a.m. Saturday. Another inch or two of snow was expected across the Twin Cities area Saturday afternoon and evening. Parts of southwestern Minnesota received 8 inches of snow, including Marshall, Redwood Falls and Slayton.
MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht says plows have been out in force, and cautions motorists to slow down.