St. Paul declares snow emergency but Minneapolis holds off [UPDATES]

The plows are out.

​The snow storm that blew in from the Dakotas and points west this morning has dropped anywhere from three inches to a foot of snow over the Twin Cites, and St. Paul responded this evening by declaring a snow emergency.

Starting at 9 p.m., parking is banned on all Night Plow Routes. Starting Monday morning, parking will be banned on all Day Plow Routes. [DETAILS HERE.]

Other cities under snow emergencies include Bloomington, Hopkins, Red Wing, Montgomery, and West St. Paul--but not Minneapolis.

Here's how the weather radar looked over the Twin Cities at 4 p.m. The blue shading represents snow. Click to enlarge.

​The plows are out in the same numbers that they would be during a snow emergency in Minneapolis, according to the city, but no emergency has been declared.

The city says it plans to assess the situation in the morning, because more snow is expected overnight.

That's good news for folks who might have otherwise spent this evening scrambling to move their cars.

But beware: Minneapolis's winter-long parking restrictions remain in effect, so do not park on the on the even side of non-Snow Emergency routes. [DETAILS HERE]

Metro Transit said that at 5 p.m. there were 183 buses out on 34 routes. Seventy-eight percent of them were on time. There are delays on light rail.
Update 1: The State Patrol reports 167 crashes in the metro today, included 24 reported injuries. A squad car was hit, too.

Update 2: Minneapolis St. Paul Airport has canceled as many as 700 flights, so if you're trying to fly out this winter wonderland tonight or tomorrow, be sure to check the status of your flight.