A powerful mid-March winter storm brought blizzard conditions, heavy snowfall, and widespread travel disruptions across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with some communities in the southern Twin Cities metro receiving nearly 17 inches of snow.

A brief but impactful band of light freezing rain and snow created hazardous travel conditions across much of central and eastern Minnesota on Tuesday morning.

Despite significant damage following a three-vehicle crash at a busy Apple Valley intersection on Wednesday afternoon, there were no reported injuries, and one driver was cited.

What began as a forecast calling for a modest 2 to 4 inches of snowfall turned into a much more impactful winter event across the Twin Cities metro, as a powerful deformation band parked itself over the region on Wednesday and persisted into early Thursday morning.

A powerful winter storm impacted the Twin Cities and much of southern and central Minnesota from Sunday, December 28, into early Monday, December 29, bringing widespread snowfall, strong winds, hazardous travel conditions, and significant disruptions to both roadway and air travel.

A light snowfall on Wednesday caused slippery road conditions across Minnesota, leading to over 577 crashes statewide.