(PHOTOS) Wet Snow Creates Messy Morning

Hopkins residents went to sleep to a mix of rain and sleet and awoke to find a heavy coat of snow on the ground.

The Star Tribune reports that the metro area saw one to three inches of snow that followed about a half inch of rain.

Minnesota State Patrol reported 71 crashes, with nine involving injuries, in the metro area between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. There were 84 crashes statewide in the same timeframe.

The winter weather resulted in a snow day for local students. All Hopkins Public Schools will start two hours late due to snow. There will be no morning kindergarten or Early Childhood Special Needs.

Main Street School of Performing Arts is open and on time.

Xcel reported dozens of outages around Hopkins. As of 8:30 a.m., the company expected power to be restored by noon.

The National Weather Service predicts continuing snow accumulation of two to four inches with winds between 10 mph and 14 mph. The likelihood of snow reduces to 30 percent chance before midnight.