The Associated Press

Blowing snow that cut visibility to zero at times and caused drifting faster than snowplows could handle kept two Interstate highways and part of a third closed in Minnesota for much of Sunday.

Monday, February 26, 2001

Blowing snow that cut visibility to zero at times and caused drifting faster than snowplows could handle kept two Interstate highways and part of a third closed in Minnesota for much of Sunday.

Numerous smaller highways and roads were also closed across parts of western and southwestern Minnesota. This weekend’s storms were also blamed in at least one death.

Interstate 94 was closed starting Saturday night from the North Dakota border to Alexandria. Authorities reopened the highway at noon Sunday but conditions remained bad and they continued to advise no unnecessary travel.

A 260-mile stretch of I-90 was closed from Blue Earth to the South Dakota border and beyond to Chamberlain, S.D until it reopened at 2 p.m. The southbound lanes of Interstate 35 were closed south of Owatonna to the Iowa border for much of Sunday afternoon, but opened in about 5 p.m. A 50-mile stretch of I-35 was also closed in Iowa. It also re-opened Sunday evening.

Renard Fritz, dispatcher for the Minnesota State Patrol in Detroit Lakes, said plows struggled to get I-94 open, but the snow kept drifting back. He said they also had serious drifting on U.S. Highway 10.

"We’re just losing ground all around," he said.