'Blow ice' is making traffic treacherous in west central Minnesota

Minnesota troopers in west central and northwest regions are keeping very active today.

Vehicles started slipping off the roads around 3:45 a.m. in areas with several slippery spots scattered throughout the area, according to the State Patrol.

As of approximately 1 p.m., troopers have responded to nine crashes, eight of which were roll overs, three of those resulted in non-serious injuries. And additional 18 vehicles have slid off the roadways requiring tow truck assistance, according to the State Patrol.

Shortly after 10 a.m., a sports utility vehicle slid off Interstate-94 west of Osakis and ended up on its roof. The driver suffered only minor injuries.

Motorists are driving too fast for obvious poor conditions, according to the State Patrol. Winds have polished up a lot of the area causing "blow ice" conditions.

Some of the busiest areas have included I94 near Rothsay, where several vehicles have went off the road including a Fed-Ex semi pulling "double trailers." The rear trailer of the set up rolled as the semi went into the median. Troopers had the freeway shut down in that area for approximately 15 minutes while they removed the truck and trailers from the median.

An additional three semis had also ran off the road in this area. Other busy areas have included I-94 just east of Moorhead, and Highway 10 between Dilworth and Glyndon. Crashes and vehicles sliding off the road activity is spreading east as the day goes on, according to the State Patrol.

Conditions are expected to stay slippery throughout the day and motorists are advised to slow down.

Tags: news, updates, roads