Community Corner

UPDATE: Eden Prairie Has A Foot Of Snow, With 1-3 Inches On The Way

A powerful storm will continue to impact the region all day Sunday, with snowfall expected to become heavy at times during the day. A winter storm warning is in effect until midnight Sunday.

Updated 2:41 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10: The City of Eden Prairie sent out the following plowing update at 2:09 p.m.:

Snow Emergency

Find out what's happening in Eden Prairiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After issuing a snow emergency effective this morning, City of Eden Prairie snow plows began clearing streets 3 a.m. with an anticipated completion of all streets by noon. To report a street not yet cleared, please call 952-949-8533.

Adopt A Hydrant

Find out what's happening in Eden Prairiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Your help is needed to clear snow and ice from more than 4,000 fire hydrants in the City of Eden Prairie. Adopt a hydrant in your area today…grab a shovel and dig it out!

***

Updated 1:01 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10: Eden Prairie Police responded to 26 motor vehicle accidents during the storm, according to the city. There were no major injuries reported.

***

Updated 6:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 10: Snow totals around Eden Prairie did not increase much from Sunday night. 

So far no weather spotters have reported from the city. A spotter in Bloomington reported 11 inches of snow, one in Shakopee said 10 inches fell and one in Chanhassen reported a foot.

Eden Prairie schools are open and on time Monday, according to the latest information available.

The snow emergency in Eden Prairie still is in effect. As a reminder:

Beginning at 3 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, parking is restricted on all Eden Prairie streets until the street has been plowed to the full width of the roadway (Eden Prairie City Code 8.15).

Any vehicle parked on a City street which has not been plowed to the full width of the roadway will be subject to citation and possible impound by the Eden Prairie Police Department.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reports that travel on 212, 169 and 494 is "fair."

SouthWest Transit is running a regular schedule. However, a note on the website says, "but expect delays due to weather and road conditions. SWT will monitor conditions throughout the day. Watch for updates here, on Facebook and Twitter."

***

Updated 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9: Snow totals around Eden Prairie range from 10 inches to a foot.

Weather spotters from around the Twin Cities are reporting the number of inches of snow in their cities on Weather Underground.

The National Weather Services says currently the temperature in Eden Prairie is 30 degrees. Another 1 to 3 inches is forecast overnight. The temperature is expected to drop to 4 degrees tonight. It will be mostly sunny Monday, with a high of 10 degrees and wind chills between -1 to -10.

As for road conditions, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has deemed travel on all major roads around Eden Prairie—494, 212 and 169—"difficult."

WCCO reports the Minnesota State Patrol said there have been 597 crashes since Saturday night. Sixty-one of them involved injuries, including one fatal accident in Wacouta.

At about 1:30 p.m., the Eden Prairie Police Department reported on Facebook that officers had responded to six crashes, including a jackknifed semi (see photo).

Eden Prairie schools are open and on time Monday, according to the latest information available.

***

Updated 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9: The city of Eden Prairie has officially declared a snow emergency.

An alert sent out at 2:01 p.m. states:

Beginning at 3 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, parking is restricted on all Eden Prairie streets until the street has been plowed to the full width of the roadway (Eden Prairie City Code 8.15).

Any vehicle parked on a City street which has not been plowed to the full width of the roadway will be subject to citation and possible impound by the Eden Prairie Police Department.

***

A winter storm warning remains in effect until midnight Sunday, Dec. 9, for the Eden Prairie and much of Minnesota.

A total of anywhere from 9 to 15 inches is expected to fall on Eden Prairie by the time all is said and done, with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen forecasting snowfall to wrap up Sunday evening.

Travel is expected to be difficult, with winds increasing in the afternoon and evening. 

"The heavy snow will taper off this evening with a few snow showers expected thereafter," the National Weather Service said in a winter storm warning. "The wind will then increase from the northwest with drifting snow lingering this evening."

Check out our earlier post about Eden Prairie's winter parking rules.

Here is the full text of the warning, issued by the National Weather Service at 9:23 a.m. Sunday:

FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS HAVE INCREASED AS MAJOR WINTER STORM CONTINUES.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL AND STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MPH. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN FOR HEAVY SNOWFALL. FAR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA REMAINS UNDER A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL.

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. SNOW WILL EXPAND THIS MORNING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES TODAY. BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE GRADUALLY TAPERING OFF THIS EVENING. SOME WIND GUSTS MAY EXCEED 40 MPH. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL RESULT IN WHITEOUT CONDITIONS MAKING TRAVEL NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE BY THIS AFTERNOON. AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ARE ALSO EXPECTED FARTHER EAST...BUT LIGHTER WINDS PRECLUDE THE ISSUANCE OF A BLIZZARD WARNING AT THIS TIME.

TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET BEHIND THE SYSTEM TO WELL BELOW ZERO LATE TONIGHT OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA WITH WIND CHILL READINGS AS LOW AS 20 TO 30 BELOW. TRAVEL IN THE BLIZZARD AND WINTER STORM WARNING AREAS IS NOT ADVISED. TRAVEL WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT AND STRANDED MOTORISTS RISK GETTING FROSTBITE OR HYPOTHERMIA DUE TO THE FRIGID WIND CHILL LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.

WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT...

* TIMING...SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL DEVELOP TODAY. THE HEAVY SNOW WILL TAPER OFF THIS EVENING WITH A FEW SNOW SHOWERS EXPECTED THEREAFTER. THE WIND WILL THEN INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST WITH DRIFTING SNOW LINGERING THIS EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...8 TO 15 INCHES WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS IN MINNESOTA.

* OTHER IMPACTS...AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA AS NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Click here for the updated forecast for Eden Prairie.

Planning to take photos of the snowfall this weekend? Submit your shots to Eden Prairie Patch by adding them to our community gallery.

Earlier coverage of the storm:

  • Parking Ban Activates With 2 Inches Or More Of Snow


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