Record setting storm still creating problems

The major winter storm that hit southern Minnesota yesterday is long gone but its effects may be felt for several days.

The storm began dumping heavy wet snow in the Rochester area around 2 p.m. and it was soon falling at a rate of 1 - 2 inches an hour. The Rochester airport recorded 7 inches between 2 - 6 p.m. and by midnight, the daily total stood at a record 8.8 inches. That put the monthly total of just over 17 inches into the top ten of the snowiest Februarys on record. The season total climbed to more than 46 inches - almost twice the amount from the same time a year ago. Snowfall totals from the region were generally in the 5 - 7 inch range. A few were as high as 10 inches.

The storm left roads in very poor shape as they became covered with compacted snow and thick ice. Sections of major state highways were closed as were numerous rural roads in surrounding counties. MNDOT shut down I-35 between Owatonna and the Iowa border and I-90 between Stewartville and Austin. There were dozens of stranded vehicles and fender benders during the storm and again this morning. So far, no serious accidents have been reported.

Thousands of homes and businesses were affected by power outages caused by the storm. RPU crews worked through the night and had the number of outages to just a few dozen by mid morning. Some of the outages were caused by trees or tree limbs that were overcome by the heavy snow.
More than 100 flights were canceled at the Twin Cities Airport due to the storm. Spokesman Pat Hogan says limited visibility is holding up some flights. Hogan says there remains much cleanup work to do on some of the runways to get things back to normal, but expects today will run more smoothly for travelers than yesterday.
Cold air will now settle into the region and is expected to remain through all of next week with subzero temperatures making a return.