State patrol reports 1 death, more than 100 crashes on icy roads
Published 11:05 am Friday, November 27, 2015
By Karen Zamora and Pam Louwagie
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The first measurable snowfall of the season blanketed the Twin Cities on Thursday, adding a wintry feel to the Thanksgiving holiday and making for slippery roads in some areas.
As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the Minnesota State Patrol had reported 133 crashes across the state, including one that was fatal, 31 that resulted in injuries, 21 rollovers and 64 that involved vehicles spinning out and leaving the road. Most of the crashes occurred in the southern part of the state.
The Mower County area saw a dusting of snow and mild glaze of ice.
However, the State Patrol said the weather was not a factor in a crash about 10 a.m., when three vehicles were involved in a fatal collision on Highway 52 north of Chatfield, just south of Rochester.
The State Patrol gave this account of the crash:
A 2005 Honda Civic headed north on Highway 52 crossed the centerline several times before colliding with a southbound GMC Acadia. A northbound Toyota Camry swerved to avoid the crash, went into the ditch and rolled.
One person in the crash died. Two others were injured, according to the State Patrol, which closed roads for several hours while investigating the crash.
Most of the snowfall came in the southern third of the state and ended by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. The heaviest total reported fell in Burnsville, with 1.9 inches.
It marked the Twin Cities’ first measurable snowfall of the year. It’s the seventh-latest snowfall on record, according to the National Weather Service.
A drier but chilly holiday weekend is on tap, forecasters said.
Black Friday is expected to bring partly cloudy skies with highs in the 20s, clearing at night with lows in the single digits in the north and teens in the south. Saturday and Sunday are expected to be sunny in most of the state with highs in the 30s.
Monday, it’s back to snow, though.
Clouds will increase in southwest Minnesota starting Sunday night, ushering in a system that is expected to affect much of the state beginning Monday morning and lasting through Tuesday. The predicted snowfall for the metro is 1-3 inches or double, meteorologist Tony Zaleski said.
“We’re not exactly sure where the heaviest bands are going to be setting up,” Zaleski said. “The system itself is going to be a slow mover.”
—Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.