MSP Airport closes runways for nearly 3 hours due to 'excessive snowfall'

Some delays at MSP Airport after Tuesday's temporary shutdown due to snow

There are some delays at MSP Airport on Wednesday after snow forced the airport to close its runways for just shy of three hours on Tuesday amid heavy snowfall.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport closed its runways due to "excessive snowfall rates and low visibility," Tuesday afternoon.

The airport said intense bands of snow that dropped up to an inch an hour forced them to close the runways for around two hours.

The weather resulted in the cancellation of at least 116 flights and 187 delays.

Jeff Lea with the Metropolitan Airports Commission estimated hundreds of travelers would be stuck overnight in Minneapolis due to the cancellations and delays.

Becky and Keith Anderson from Grand Rapids, Minnesota said their 10 a.m. flight to Cancun was eventually canceled, after they sat on the plane for several hours waiting for the snow to pass.

"Our flight just kept getting delayed and delayed until about 5 p.m. they canceled it on us. So, now we’re scrambling to try to get another flight out," said Becky Anderson.

Most of the Twin Cities metro saw between 5 and 7 inches of snow, with some spots hitting 8 inches or more.

Snowstorm creates travel headaches at MSP airport

Multiple inches of snow throughout the day Tuesday has caused a headache for many, as the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport was forced to close its runways, leaving some passengers laid over for the evening.