Roads were icy in parts of the Twin Cities metro Saturday night and into Sunday after sleet and rain turned to snow.

“This was a sneaky little event,” said Joe Strus, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Twin Cities Office. What started as wet precipitation froze on the ground as it started to snow, contributing to slick roads.

Between 0.3 and 0.7 inches of snow fell across most of the metro, according to an NWS map. Northwest Minnesota got up to 6 inches of snow, while southern Minnesota got less than the metro, generally.

As of 10 a.m., the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s road conditions map showed most metro area highways with “normal driving conditions.” In the southwest and southeast metro, a few highways were listed as having some compacted snow or slush on them. Conditions were worse across parts of northern Minnesota, where more snow fell.

Anne Meyer, a MnDOT spokesperson, said highways are in good shape, but she urged drivers to use caution, particularly on ramps, bridges and overpasses, which are more ice-prone.

“It is the winter season, slick spots may be out there depending on where you’re driving,” she said. Meyer said drivers can check their route on the 511 road condition map and check MnDOT cameras to see conditions on specific roads.

Three fatal crashes

State Patrol posted there had been 238 crashes in Minnesota between 9 a.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday; 30 with injuries.

State Patrol’s incident report website lists three fatal crashes in the state since Saturday afternoon:

• Levi Charles Greenwood, 20, of Hibbing, died following a two-vehicle head-on crash in Calumet in Itasca County, Saturday afternoon. His vehicle entered the oncoming traffic lane and collided with a semi. The other driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Road conditions were listed as wet.
• Emiliano Rashid Kosnopfal, 21, of Dover, died after losing control of his vehicle on Interstate 90 in icy conditions and rolling into the median in Worthington Township Saturday evening. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
• Mark Henry Hall, 74, of Owatonna, died after the vehicle he was driving veered off Interstate 494 in icy conditions and hit a fence late Saturday. A female passenger was not injured.

In addition, State Patrol listed 106 vehicle spin outs and two jackknifed semi-trucks in its post.

Conditions on city streets in Minneapolis and St. Paul

Around 7 a.m. in St. Paul, many residential roads were icy, while main roads tended to be less hazardous.

St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw said in an email that the city brought in extra staff overnight to deal with refreeze on areas that were covered yesterday. Sunday, he said the city will focus on bridges, arterials/collectors and hills.

“We urge caution everywhere,” he said, but especially on east-west streets, which tend to get less sun.

In Minneapolis, city spokesperson Sarah McKenzie said crews have been out treating slippery spots, including arterials and hills. The city’s public works department will address 311 complaints throughout the day.

As of mid-morning on Sunday, weather-related rider alerts issued by Metro Transit on Saturday, including cancellations and detours, had been resolved.

In the metro, Strus said he expects the snow to stick around through the day and into Monday, when sunnier conditions will cause some melt by midday.