Record Snow in Rochester and Wrecks Everywhere
Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - Schools are closed and roads are in rough shape as a result of Wednesday’s snowstorm. Rochester Public Schools joined other districts in the area to call off classes Thursday.
There were dozens of traffic wrecks during Wednesday’s storm and some involved multiple vehicles on I-35 and I-90. A section of I-35 in the Medford area was closed for a few hours because of one pileup. Another involved three semi-trucks that resulted in the temporary closure of a section of I-90 near Marion. The Rochester Fire Department sent crews to the scene to extricate the driver of one of the rigs.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to 213 crashes (33 with non-life threatening injuries), 177 vehicle spinouts and/or off the road and 15 jackknifed semi-trucks around the state between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Wednesday.
Rochester received a record 4.1 inches of snow Wednesday and that pushed the seasonal total to 83.7 inches. The current record is 85.1 inches. More snow fell in the Rochester area early Thursday.
Very windy conditions are expected Thursday and rain, freezing rain, sleet, and light snow are expected across SE Minnesota into Friday evening.
News update: Man survives serious accident at Rochester business.