Depending on when and where you were driving on Sunday, conditions ranged from annoying, to frustrating to terrifying. Freezing rain and drizzle coated the roads.
And we saw what happens when roads become slick. Rochester Police responded to more than 70 crashes Sunday morning.
And also in Southern Minnesota, an Owatonna man was hurt in a crash on I-35. It happened in Steele County around 7:30 Sunday morning.
According to the state patrol, 71-year-old Edward Winzenburg lost control of his Dodge Dakota, hit the left median, and went up and over the guard rail. He was not seriously hurt.
"I'm coming back from Iowa. That's a good question why i'm on the road today," said Mike Sutter.
On his journey back home to Bloomington, Minnesota, Sutter made an unexpected stop at a rest area.
"All the emergency vehicles and cars in the ditch, and so I feel a lot better coming in here," Sutter said.
And he's not alone. Several folks pulled off the slippery freeway into the rest area, hoping to avoid being one of the dozens of vehicles that ended up in the ditch.
"If you don't need to be out driving about, you shouldn't be out there," said Lt. Jeff Strom with the Albert Lea Police Department.
Lt. Strom said if you absolutely have to be on the road on a day like Sunday, you need to use extreme caution.
"Slow down. Give yourself extra time to get to where you need to get to so you're not pushing things. Make sure you're wearing your seatbelt," said Lt. Strom.
He said that while the side streets are plenty slippery, it's the freeways that can be the most dangerous.
"I think the interstates are more dangerous because of the higher speeds out there. people still, with this weather, are going 70 miles an hour, 80 miles an hour," Strom said.
As for Sutter, he may be staying in Southern Minnesota a little longer than he planned.
"I'd rather stay here than end up in the hospital," said Sutter.
Another reminder, Lt. Strom said if you see a car on the side of road, whether's it's an emergency vehicle, tow truck or someone who went into the ditch - it's important to slow down when passing them and move over if possible. Strom said that's true anytime of year , but even more important when the roads are slick.
