Snow totals top out at 21 inches for south metro, north metro far less

FOX 9 Chief Meteorologist Ian Leonard's dog, Baxter, in the snow.  (FOX 9)

A heavy band of snow sat over the Twin Cities south metro for the majority of Friday afternoon and evening, while areas in the north metro had more of a light to moderate snow shower. The intensity eased up on us overnight, but now comes the shoveling. Watch FOX 9's weather coverage at fox9.com/live.

RELATED: How Minnesotans spent the 1st day of major snowfall in the Twin Cities

Snow totals

Snow totals in the south metro compared to the north metro were drastically different, with some parts of the south metro getting between 17-21 inches and the north metro only getting between 3-8 inches. 

  • St. Paul: 21.0 inches
  • Woodbury: 20.0 inches
  • Lakeville: 19.0 inches
  • Bloomington: 18.5 inches 
  • Eagan: 18.0 inches
  • Rosemount: 18.0 inches
  • Burnsville: 17.5 inches
  • Roseville: 8.4 inches 
  • Plymouth: 7.0 inches 
  • Maple Grove: 5.8 inches
  • Lino Lakes: 4.5 inches
  • Rogers: 3.9 inches
  • Blaine: 3.9 inches
  • Oak Grove: 3.7 inches

Snow emergency and winter parking info

Minneapolis: Minneapolis officials have declared a Snow Emergency beginning today, Friday, Dec. 10. Now that a Snow Emergency has been declared, parking restrictions will take effect beginning at 9 p.m. tonight so crews can plow streets. For more information on Snow Emergencies in Minneapolis, visit minneapolismn.gov/snow

Minneapolis Snow Emergency parking rules: 

  • Friday, Dec. 10, 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 (Day 1)Do not park on EITHER side of a Snow Emergency route until 8 a.m., or the street is fully plowed.
  • Saturday, Dec. 11, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Day 2) Do not park on the EVEN numbered side of a non-Snow Emergency route until 8 p.m., or that side of the street is fully plowed, or on EITHER side of a parkway until 8 p.m., or the parkway is fully plowed.
  • Sunday, Dec. 12, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Day 3) Do not park on the ODD numbered side of a non-Snow Emergency route until 8 p.m., or that side of the street is fully plowed.

St. Paul: Beginning today at 9 p.m. on Friday, 12/10/2021, all NIGHT PLOW ROUTES will be plowed. Do not park on Night Plow Routes, which include all of downtown and streets with signs posted "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE" and "NIGHT PLOW ROUTE THIS SIDE OF STREET." Vehicles which are not moved from Night Plow Routes by 9 p.m. on 12/10/21, will be ticketed and towed. Beginning tomorrow at 8 a.m. on Saturday, 12/11/2021, all DAY PLOW ROUTES will be plowed.  Do not park on Day Plow Routes. Day Plow Routes are not marked by signs. If there are no Night Plow signs posted within the block, then consider it a Day Plow Route. Vehicles which are not moved from Day Plow Routes by 8 a.m. on 12/11/2021, will be ticketed and towed.

Bloomington: Do not park on Bloomington streets for 48 hours or until the street has been plowed full width (whichever occurs first). For current info about this snow emergency, call the Snow Emergency Hotline at 952-563-8768. 

Brooklyn Park: The city of Brooklyn Park has declared a snow emergency. This means no on-street parking beginning at 11:59 p.m. on December 10 until a street has been plowed curb to curb. Vehicles that remain on the street after 11:59 p.m. may be ticketed and towed. Off-street parking is available at several parking lots. For a map with locations visit www.brooklynpark.org/snow.

Brooklyn Center: Has ended its snow event. 

Snowfall rate of 1-2 inches per hour in the south metro Friday evening

Crystal: The City of Crystal has declared snow parking restrictions effective Saturday, Dec. 11 at 12:01 a.m. During this period, parking is prohibited on all public streets and alleys until the snow has stopped accumulating and the street or alley has been plowed edge to edge. Vehicles parked on streets or alleys during snow emergencies may be tagged and/or towed at the owner’s expense.

Elk River: The City of Elk River has declared a Snow Event due to inclement weather, which means overnight parking restrictions will go into effect from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Nightly parking restrictions will remain in effect until the Snow Event has been lifted by city staff. Additional information, including a map of designated overnight parking spaces is available on the city’s website at  ElkRiverMN.gov/SnowEvent.

Faribault: The City of Faribault has declared a Snow Emergency for Saturday, December 11th. No parking on city streets from 1am to 8am, or until plowed curb to curb, whichever occurs later. Unattended vehicles are subject to tagging and/or towing. 

New Hope: The City of New Hope has declared a snow emergency effective at 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10.  During a snow emergency, parking is prohibited on all roads until snow subsides and streets are fully plowed from curb to curb. Vehicles remaining on the street during this time are subject to being ticketed and towed.  Additional details about New Hope’s snow emergency ordinance can be found at newhopemn.gov/snowemergency.

Northfield: The City of Northfield has declared a snow emergency effective 5PM Friday, December 10 until 12PM Sunday, December 12.

Red Wing: The City of Red Wing has declared a snow emergency. For details, visit http://www.red-wing.org/491/Snow-Emergencies

Robbinsdale: The City of Robbinsdale is declaring a snow emergency event for an expected snowfall of 2 inches or more. Parking restrictions will take effect at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 10, 2021. No on-street parking until roads are plowed curb to curb.

St. Louis Park: A snow emergency for St. Louis Park will be in effect starting 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10.

Wayzata: The City of Wayzata declared a snow emergency beginning at 2 a.m. Saturday. At that time, snow plowing will begin, and any vehicles parked on unplowed streets will be tagged and/or towed. 

West. St. Paul: A Snow Emergency has been declared by the City of West St. Paul. Details at https://wspmn.gov/600/Snow-Plowing-Ordinance

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Snow leads to crashes, road closures across Minnesota

FOX 9's Rob Olson talks with Minnesotans about winter shoveling and driving as snow coats the roads Friday evening.

300+ crashes, including semi pileup on I-35 in Faribault

The Minnesota State Patrol reported 321 crashes from 6 a.m. Friday to noon Saturday, 311 vehicles off the road and 21 jackknifed semis. Twenty-six of those crashes had injuries and one was fatal. 

Interstate 35 near Faribault was blocked by crash involving multiple semis during the snowfall on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. (MnDOT)

Interstate 35 near Faribault was blocked by crash involving multiple semis late in the 11 a.m. hour Friday. No information on any injuries from the crash was immediately available.

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Semi truck pileup on I-35 in Faribault, Minnesota

Stephanie Holstein Whipple recorded video in Faribault on Friday showing several disabled vehicles on Minnesota’s Interstate 35. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, a jackknifed semi-truck was blocking part of southbound I-35. MnDOT said hundreds of snowplows were out on the roads.

MDH closes COVID testing sites early

Due to inclement weather, the following Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 testing sites are closing early at 5 p.m. - Brooklyn Park - Minneapolis - Bloomington - MSP Airport. Testing appointments can be rescheduled at https://mn.gov/covid19/get-tested/testing-locations/community-testing.jsp

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Snow means grocery shopping, sledding for Minnesotans

At Kowalski's in south Minneapolis, the first big snowstorm of the season brought a flurry of activity as customers prepared to hunker down for the weekend.

School closings, early dismissal, activity cancellations

Some schools canceled classes in anticipation of the snow as the bus driver shortage continues to cause trouble for some districts. See a list of closings and early dismissals at fox9.com/closings.

Minneapolis Public Schools is canceling student after-school activities on Friday, Dec. 10 due to inclement weather. All student after-school activities are canceled this afternoon, including athletics, as are all Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) classes. Minneapolis Kids will remain open until all kids are picked up. Learn more about winter weather guidelines at www.mpls.k12.mn.us/school_closing.

St. Paul Public Schools after-school events, activities, athletics and evening programs are canceled Friday, due to the weather. Discovery Club will remain open until all students are picked up. - Athletics practices and competitions are canceled. More info: https://spps.org

There is a big snowfall gradient across the area. Those in the north metro could see 3-6 inches while the south metro could get 6-10 or more inches. There will potentially be splotches of 12 or more inches scattered across southern Minnesota.

Sunshine and warm-up coming

Digging out will be made easier on Saturday with seasonable sunshine, with warmer temperatures bringing a December thaw from Sunday into next week. Check the 7-day forecast at fox9.com/weather.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from noon Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday for southern Minnesota, including parts of the metro. The north metro is under a Winter Weather Advisory. 

Download the FOX 9 Weather App to track winter weather live on your phone, with future radar, school closings, live streaming video of FOX 9 coverage and alerts and forecasts customized for your current location and favorite locations: fox9.com/apps