MINNEAPOLIS _ A snowfall of a mere one-tenth of an inch caused way more than its share of damaged cars and rattled drivers early Saturday, with 118 crashes reported between 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Another 22 vehicles spun out or slid off the slick roads, said State Patrol spokesman Lt. Gordon Shank.
No weather-related fatalities were reported. Although 18 people were injured in the crashes, none of the injuries was considered serious.
"I think more than anything it's just a good reminder that winter's here and we need to make sure of driving conditions," including allowing for extra travel time when needed, Shank said.
For those of you who gasped at the "winter's here" part, the National Weather Service offered some semi-comforting news.
"We'll have a brief warmup _ I don't know if you really want to call this a warmup _ but tomorrow it's going to be in the upper 40s," said meteorologist Todd Krause of the NWS's Chanhassen office. The forecast calls for highs in the lower 40s Monday and back to the lower 30s on Tuesday.
"We're still going to be having a few bouts of snow here and there," Krause said. "Nothing major."
The forecast for the Twin Cities metro area includes chances of snow ranging from 30% to 50% on Sunday night into Monday morning, as well as Tuesday afternoon and night into Wednesday morning.
This October was chillier and rainier than average, Krause said. "The way the pattern is, it looks like we'll have more snow than average, starting in December," he said.
