Storm Drops Eight Inches of Snow on St. Michael, Albertville Area

About 8 inches of heavy, wet snow, preceded by more than a half-inch of rain, slush and ice, socked St. Michael as the now-named “Leap Day Blizzard” made its way across Minnesota.

On the fringe of the heaviest portion of the storm, the snow, wind and ice knocked out power to about 1,000 customers, according to an Xcel Energy press release issues Wednesday.

“We are experiencing widespread power outages in Minnesota, especially in the metro area, due to winter weather conditions. As of 7 am on Wednesday, February 29th, we expect most customers experiencing outages to have their service restored by noon today. As the storm continues, new outages are possible and this restoration estimate could change,” a statement from Xcel read.

Commuters slipped and slid through icy intersections and attempted to wind their way down to the Twin Cities, where snowfall estimates ranged from as little as 2 inches to as much as a half a foot of snow.

In northern Minnesota, things were buried as more than 14 inches fell in the Brainerd area, according to some estimates, all the way over to Duluth.

Schools were closed around the STMA area, as most parents got the call around 5:30 a.m. that ould have its first “snow day” for the 2011-2012 school year.