MINNEAPOLIS – A late-winter storm dropped almost 2 feet of snow across portions of Minnesota on Friday, forcing dozens of schools to close and canceling more than 250 flights out of the Twin Cit (search)ies.
Jim Kline of the National Weather Service (search) said the heaviest snowfall was in the state's southern counties, which could receive more snow throughout the night.
"This storm system is really stuck," he said. "They are going to continue to get dumped on."
The storm prompted authorities to shut down Interstate 90 in the western half of the state. Police reported receiving hundreds of accident reports by Friday evening, but there were no fatalities or reports of serious injuries.
Plows could only keep one runway open at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (search), officials said. About 260 flights were canceled by late afternoon.
In Wisconsin, parts of the state expected as much as 2 feet of snow by Saturday afternoon, said Steve Thompson, a weather service meteorologist in La Crosse, which had nearly 11 inches by Friday evening, breaking the previous record of 6.1 inches for the date with hours to go.
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