Most Twin Cities residents woke up under a winter storm warning on Tuesday, with snowfall totals in St. Paul expected to top out between 6 and 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
On Tuesday afternoon, St. Paul declared a snow emergency, to begin with night plow routes at 9 p.m. Vehicles not moved from these night routes be ticketed and towed. Minneapolis has also declared a snow emergency.
Snow, which began falling early Tuesday, is expected to keep falling through the afternoon commute. The snowflakes will bring with them lower temperatures and blustery winds.
The more eastern parts of the metro, including Ramsey County, Washington County and eastern Anoka County, are expected to see higher snow totals than elsewhere in the Twin Cities, where four to seven inches is predicted.
The State Patrol reported 139 crashes across Minnesota from 6 to 10 a.m. Tuesday with none serious or fatal.
11am Update – Radar shows a band of heavy snow has setup from Siren, WI, southwest back through the Twin Cities and Mankato/New Ulm. This band is expected to remain in place through about 3pm before pushing east. This is all right in line with our going snowfall forecast. #mnwx pic.twitter.com/CNILLrgCQe
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) November 29, 2022
Both St. Paul Public Schools and the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district (197) have canceled after-school events, activities, and evening programs due to the weather. High school athletic events will be held on a case-by-case basis.
In Stillwater, students will be released from school early and all after-school activities and evening events are canceled on Tuesday.
Stillwater high school sudents will be released at 12:05 p.m. Stillwater buses will depart at 12:35 p.m. for middle and high school students and 2 p.m. for elementary students and early childhood programming. The Pony Activity Center will close at 2 p.m. and Adventure Club will close at 4 p.m.
Do you have photos or anecdotes from today’s snow? Please email your weather stories and photos to Molly Guthrey at mguthrey@pioneerpress.com.
Tyler Hasenstein, a NWS meteorologist, said so far Tuesday morning between an inch and a half to 2 inches of snow has fallen in most of the metro area.
Hasenstein said he’s expecting to see heavier snowfall from noon to 4 p.m., with more in the southeastern part of the metro — St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Woodbury, Cottage Grove — and less in the northwest.
Even though snow is expected to taper off in the evening, there are going to be strong winds overnight and Wednesday, he said, which could result in blowing snow and reduced visibility for motorists. Driving conditions may be slick Wednesday as well, due to blowing snow.
The snow should remain for at least the next two weeks as there isn’t a significant warm-up expected, except maybe Friday with highs in the 40s. Temperatures going into the first week of December are trending below normal, with highs in the mid 20s and 30s. Tuesday was the only good chance for major snow accumulation in the next week.
The winter storm warning includes Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin, Carver, Dakota and Scott counties in Minnesota, as well as Polk, Barron and St. Croix counties in western Wisconsin. It will remain in effect from 5 a.m. through 6 p.m. Tuesday.
A winter weather advisory, with lesser snow accumulations, is in effect for most of far southern Minnesota and other counties adjacent to the winter storm warning area in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Tuesday’s snowfall could prompt the season’s first snow emergency street plowing operations in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said it was preparing for the wintry onslaught. Two weeks ago, the season’s first big snowstorm snarled commutes and led to more than 500 crashes, including two with fatalities.
For updated information on road conditions statewide, go to 511mn.org.
Although the snow is expected to fall most heavily during the day on Tuesday, more light snow is possible on Tuesday night, with the low falling to 19, according to the weather service.
Colder air is expected to move in after the snowfall, with a low of 10 degrees on Wednesday night.
Thursday is forecast to be mostly sunny, with a high near 30.
Olivia Stevens contributed to this report.