Freezing rain leads to icy roads and sidewalks, school delays across much of Minnesota

ST. PAUL — Freezing rain across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin early Monday led to icy roads and sidewalks, and delayed or canceled classes in many school districts.

Temperatures hovered around 32 degrees in the Twin Cities before sunrise Monday, allowing rain to freeze when it hit the ground in many areas. That made for a difficult morning commute for drivers and pedestrians.

While temperatures were forecast to rise in the metro through the morning — limiting the risk for further icing — colder conditions were set to linger in northern Minnesota and much of western Wisconsin.

The National Weather Service said ice accumulations may reach a quarter-inch from Moose Lake and Hinckley east into Wisconsin. The precipitation is forecast to change over to snow later Monday, with more than a half-foot possible on parts of the North Shore.

Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings remain in effect for much of central and northern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported icy roads across much of the state Monday morning. That prompted some school districts to delay or cancel classes.

Districts starting classes two hours late Monday included Brainerd, Cannon Falls, Forest Lake, Hastings, Pine Island and Wabasha-Kellogg, along with Hudson and River Falls in Wisconsin.

The Red Wing, Moose Lake and St. Croix Falls (Wisconsin) school districts moved to an e-learning day. The Barnum and Carlton school districts closed Monday.

Xcel Energy reported more than 2,000 customers without power in its Minnesota service area at one point early Monday, but that number was back below 100 as of 8 a.m.