City: Use caution on Highway 15

FAIRMONT – The city of Fairmont is advising drivers to use caution along Highway 15 south of town this weekend.

A city-owned transmission line along Highway 15 had 13 support poles fail Thursday morning because of the wind and ice.

City crews promptly addressed the situation and had power restored to all affected customers by the end of the day. In addition, the city made a request through Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association for mutual aid to help reconstruct the transmission line.

MMUA responded immediately and three crews arrived in town Friday morning. A crew from Hutchinson Utilities, Elk River Utilities and Brainerd Utilities will assist city crews this weekend to remove the old line and reconstruct the 3,500-foot section.

The city asks drivers to use caution when traveling on Highway 15 south of town and, if possible, to use an alternate route. Crews will be working on the edge and in the right-of-way of northbound Highway 15.

Spring snowstorm buries Midwest

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Strong winds and more snow hit the Midwest on Friday after a spring storm buried several states in snow and created dangerous travel conditions, while forecasters warned of potential weekend tornadoes in the South.

The storm hovering over parts of Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota was the second “bomb cyclone” storm system to hit the region in a month. The storm moved in Thursday, closing highways and knocking out power to tens of thousands of people.

It also left behind 25 inches of snow in northeast South Dakota, where Gov. Kristi Noem closed government offices in most of the state for a third straight day Friday. Parts of Nebraska were buried in more than a foot of snow and even deeper drifts, thanks to winds gusting to more than 60 mph.

Several snow-packed highways remained closed Friday in Nebraska, and forecasters warned that unseasonably low temperatures would remain through the weekend. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of emergency in much of his state, where the Minnesota State Patrol has responded to more than 500 crashes since Wednesday.

In parts of the South, the National Weather Service warned church pastors to have someone monitor the weather during Sunday services amid heightened risk for damaging tornadoes.