Lead: A late-March blizzard has prompted travel advisories across much of southern Minnesota and disrupted life in the Twin Cities area. State agencies warned Sunday of whiteout conditions and advised against travel in specified southern counties as snow continued to accumulate. Minneapolis–Saint Paul and nearby suburbs have already recorded several inches, and forecasts called for an additional 6 to 10 inches in the Twin Cities by Sunday night. The storm has triggered school and business closures, airport cancellations and a National Guard standby for potential rescue operations.
Key Takeaways
- Minnesota DOT advised travel is not recommended in Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha and Winona counties due to whiteout conditions and rapidly accumulating snow.
- The State Patrol reported 49 property-damage crashes, 11 spinouts, 211 vehicles off the road, seven jackknifed semis and two crashes with injuries between midnight and 1 p.m. Sunday.
- Snow totals reported overnight include 15 inches in Wabasha, more than 12 inches in Lakeville and Cannon Falls, roughly 10.5 inches in Savage, 7.3–7.6 inches at the MSP airport/Chanhassen observation, Champlin 6.4 inches and Edina 5.7 inches.
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport reported hundreds of cancellations: hundreds of arrivals and departures were canceled across Sunday, with one update showing more than 600 cancellations for the day.
- MnDOT planned to close I‑35 southbound at Albert Lea by 3 p.m. Sunday until Iowa reopens the link; snowplows remain active but reported roads are being covered faster than they can clear.
- Governors and city leaders declared snow emergencies in metro areas; Twin Cities mayors urged early vehicle moves and opened temporary free parking to assist residents.
- The Minnesota National Guard placed personnel on standby at armories in Albert Lea, Fairmont, Owatonna and Redwood Falls to support possible rescue operations.
Background
March storms are a recurring hazard in the Upper Midwest, when springtime temperature swings can still bring heavy, wet snow and strong winds. Minnesota has seen similar late-season events that rapidly impair visibility, overwhelm clearance operations and force broad public-safety responses. State transportation authorities, local governments and emergency services routinely prepare for these scenarios by staging equipment, issuing travel advisories and coordinating with neighboring states for interstate closures and reopenings.
Key agencies involved in the present response include the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the Minnesota State Patrol, local municipal governments in the Twin Cities, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and the Minnesota National Guard. Each has distinct responsibilities: MnDOT manages road clearance and highway closures; the State Patrol handles crash response and incident investigation; city governments enforce snow-emergency parking rules; and the National Guard provides surge rescue capacity if conventional assets are overwhelmed.
Main Event
The storm intensified overnight and into Sunday, producing heavy snowfall across southern and central Minnesota. Observers reported 15 inches in Wabasha and double-digit totals in several southern communities, while Twin Cities metro locations measured between about 6 and 10 inches by morning. Strong gusts—reported at 30 to 50 mph in some locations—exacerbated conditions by reducing visibility to a half-mile or less in spots.
MnDOT issued advisories that travel is not advised in a broad swath of southern counties and warned snowplows could not keep pace with current snowfall rates in many areas. MnDOT also announced a planned closure of I‑35 southbound at Albert Lea by 3 p.m. Sunday, citing coordination with Iowa authorities who intended to close their adjoining lanes.
On roads, the State Patrol logged dozens of crashes and hundreds of vehicles off the roadway by early afternoon. A multi-vehicle collision just before 8 p.m. Saturday on I‑35 near Elko New Market sent one person to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a disabled vehicle in the travel lane contributed to a secondary crash. Meanwhile, airports and schools moved to cancel services: hundreds of flights at MSP were canceled for Sunday, and dozens of schools announced closures for the day.
Analysis & Implications
Transportation systems are highly sensitive to rapid, heavy snowfall combined with high winds. When plows cannot maintain travel lanes because snow accumulates faster than it can be cleared, the result is whiteouts, stalled traffic and elevated crash risk. The immediate implication is a spike in emergency calls and the need for triage of response resources; the State Patrol and local EMS may face stretched capacity if incidents cluster on limited corridors.
Economic effects will be concentrated and short-term: freight and commuter delays, reduced retail activity in impacted areas, and lost work hours from closures. The airline cancellations also ripple through supply chains and passenger itineraries; hundreds of canceled departures and arrivals at MSP mean cascading rescheduling needs and potential strain on airline staffing and rebooking systems.
For public safety and infrastructure, the deployment of National Guard assets signals concern about access and rescue needs, especially in rural southern counties where two-lane roads and limited cell coverage can slow response. If snow and wind persist into Monday, municipalities may extend snow emergencies, suspend services such as residential garbage collection (as St. Paul announced), and keep parking accommodations in place to facilitate plow operations.
Comparison & Data
| Location | Reported Overnight Snow |
|---|---|
| Wabasha | 15.0 in |
| Lakeville / Cannon Falls | >12.0 in |
| Savage / Elko New Market | ~10.5+ in |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul (MSP / Chanhassen) | 7.3–7.6 in |
| Champlin | 6.4 in |
| Edina | 5.7 in |
These measurements show the heaviest bands fell south and southeast of the Twin Cities, consistent with a slight southward shift in the storm track. The additional forecasted 6 to 10 inches over the Twin Cities could push many metro locations beyond 12 inches total for the event, increasing the time roads remain impassable and raising the potential for further closures and flight disruptions.
Reactions & Quotes
Officials and agencies gave short public statements while continuing operations. Below are representative remarks and the immediate context for each.
“Snowplows are having difficulty in current conditions but remain on the roads at this time. Current rates of snow are covering roads faster than snowplows can clear a driving lane.”
MnDOT (agency statement)
MnDOT issued this advisory while announcing travel is not advised across a wide southern region; the statement was used to justify lane and route restrictions and to urge residents to avoid nonessential travel.
“As we brace for this potentially dangerous round of winter weather, I am grateful to our National Guard for stepping in to keep Minnesotans safe.”
Gov. Tim Walz (executive statement)
The governor’s executive order authorized the National Guard to support emergency operations; the administration emphasized readiness and interagency coordination ahead of anticipated rescue needs.
“We have armories all around the state, and that allows us to be able to respond pretty quickly in times like this.”
Col. John McCrae, Minnesota National Guard (operations director)
Colonel McCrae described the Guard’s staging at four southern armories and noted tracked vehicles are available to reach communities when roads are impassable.
Unconfirmed
- Final accumulations for every metro neighborhood remain unsettled; forecasts giving an additional 6–10 inches for the Twin Cities may vary locally and will be finalized after the storm.
- Exact timelines for interstate reopenings, including the I‑35 southbound closure at Albert Lea, will depend on coordination with Iowa officials and real-time road-clearance assessments.
Bottom Line
The storm represents a classic late-season Minnesota blizzard: concentrated heavy snow, strong winds and rapid travel degradation. Residents in southern counties should avoid travel and follow official guidance; Twin Cities commuters should prepare for additional accumulation, limited visibility and ongoing disruptions to transit and air travel.
Emergency managers will use staged National Guard assets and interagency coordination to respond to isolated rescue needs, but the most effective action for public safety is to limit travel and give road crews space to operate. Expect cascading impacts into Monday morning as agencies monitor accumulations, reopenings and the safety of highway corridors.
Sources
- CBS News — live local updates (media)
- Minnesota Department of Transportation — official advisory and road conditions (state agency)
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport — flight status and cancellations (airport authority)
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety / State Patrol — crash and incident reports (state agency)
- Minnesota National Guard — operational statements (state military)