Dawn breaks. Snow still drifting across Highway 60 near Mountain Lake in Cottonwood County. Image: Minnesota Transportation Department
Southwest Minnesota highways begin recovery
FAIRMONT, Minn. – As a paralyzing March blizzard abated, the State Patrol reopened Interstate 90 between Fairmont and the South Dakota border. But it wasn’t easy. Plows had to maneuver around dozens of stalled trucks, some of them abandoned when rescuers reached the drivers and took them to shelters. All southwest Minnesota was immobilized. Sheriff Jason Purrington in Windom said 52 stranded drivers spent the night in a rec center. In nearby Westbrook a community center sheltered 12 drivers. A Jeffers church opened up for drivers. So did the Mountain Lake community center. The Minnesota State responded to 200 crashes and spinouts across the state. Interstate 90 was opened at 9 a.m. in Minnesota. An hour earlier, South Dakota reopened I-90 from the Minnesota border for the miles to 70 Mitchell.
Earlier: Blizzard closes I-90, other southwest counties’ routes
Surviving the crunch. A semi came to rest atop a South Dakota Highway Patrol squad after a crash on Interstate 90 between Sioux Falls and Hartford, South Dakota. The trooper, who was in his vehicle, walked away with minor injuries. Image: South Dakota Highway Patrol