St. Thomas cancels all Monday classes as snow piles up

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St. Thomas has canceled all day and evening classes for Monday, Feb. 21, according to the university’s snow hotline.

Freshman Anna Fitgerald said she was excited about the snow day.

“I might go play outside tomorrow, maybe go sledding,” she said.

The university is selective about canceling classes. Junior Hanna Greimel said she will take the opportunity to catch up on work.

“I will have an extra day to work on all the homework that has been piling up this semester,” she said.

The National Weather Service has declared a winter storm warning for the Twin Cities and is predicting 10 to 15 inches of snow could fall by midday Monday.

St. Paul also declared a snow emergency beginning Sunday evening, but Minneapolis had not declared a snow emergency as of Sunday evening.

A blizzard warning for portions of west central and southwestern Minnesota has been declared through noon Monday.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation warned against unnecessary travel in the southern half of the state due to heavy snow and high winds.

MnDOT spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said regional officials are reporting particularly bad driving conditions in both the Mankato area and in southeastern Minnesota.

Gutknecht said it’s a good day to stay inside and watch sports on television. If people must travel, he said, they should be careful to give snow plows plenty of room.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport. A Delta official said about 700 flights are cancelled.

Students can call 651-962-SNOW for updates on school cancellations and snow emergency information.

Gina Dolski contributed to this story.

Theresa Malloy can be reached at mall5754@stthomas.edu.