Snow snarls commute across Twin Cities metro

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Cars crashed and spun in traffic Tuesday afternoon as Minnesotans worked to get home safely with the snow blanketing the metro area.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, between noon and 9 p.m. Tuesday, 149 crashes occurred on Minnesota roads along with 242 vehicle spinouts. Three semis also jackknifed due to the snowy roads. 

16 of those crashes involved injuries, but none were fatal or even serious. 

The commute was a nightmare for some, but not for Minnesota’s self-proclaimed “premier bicycle commuter,” Paul Hahn.

“I went 30 years without ever taking a car to work. There were two times I cross-country skied in,” Hahn said.

The 62-year-old airline working was biking in the snow for his 8-mile commute from home to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

There, planes took off Tuesday and disappeared into the low clouds. Fewer than a dozen flights were cancelled at MSP and delays are expected through the day.

On the ground video showed the rapid change in snowfall intensity and cars crawling from Bloomington to Mendota Heights to the airport.

Grandfather Lawrence Schmitt drove from the Northeast to get to MSP and Aaron Grussing commuted in from the Northwest in the winter weather.

“I was on the road three and a half hours on a two and a half-drive,” said Grussing.

“There was more snow at our house when we left, but the roads weren’t too bad,” said Schmitt.

“The further I came, the worse it got,” said Grussing. “Roads got really slippery. A couple of slowdowns, a couple of spinouts.”

“Today was a wonderful day,” said Hahn. “It’s one of those rare days when you have a tailwind coming in and going home.”

It was a cold, slick and snowy commute across parts of the area, whether you’re on four wheels or two.