MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Snow and freezing temperatures midweek created slick road conditions, leading to hundreds of accidents and at least two deaths.

Crashes and spinouts

The Minnesota State Patrol reported 577 crashes statewide between midnight and 9 p.m. Wednesday, along with 168 trucks and 23 semi-trucks. Of these, 48 people were injured and two others were killed.

The first fatal crash happened in Owatonna around 7:40 a.m. on Interstate 35. The crash report says a 25-year-old woman was driving northbound on the icy and snow-covered roadway when she lost control, left the roadway and rolled in the ditch.

The 25-year-old woman and a 4-year-old child suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A baby boy died in the collision, according to the accident report.

A 31-year-old Brainerd man was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Crow Wing County Wednesday around 5:45 p.m. The man was driving a pickup truck on Highway 371 when it left the roadway and rolled into the median. Roads were covered in snow and ice at the time of the crash, according to the report.

Additional crashes were reported overnight, including a multi-vehicle crash in Burnsville that happened around midnight on the Interstate 35W bridge over the Minnesota River. The driver of an SUV had already crashed when two other drivers lost control and spun on the ice before they all collided.

The State Patrol has not yet provided updated crash numbers for Thursday.

Snow led to slippery roads Wednesday, Thursday morning

The snow started in the Twin Cities before sunrise Wednesday as temperatures began to drop below freezing, but roads were in pretty good shape by the evening commute.

This is because the soil freeze/thaw cycle is delayed by air temperature. It takes some time for the soil to reach the cooler air temperatures, especially during the day.

Well, after a few more hours of sub-freezing air temperatures on Wednesday, the ground started to freeze. Add in a flurry of snow for a few hours around and over the evening commute as it takes place and that means snow accumulation on our roads and some slippery conditions.

READ MORE: MN Weather: Sleek roads Thursday after Wednesday’s snow

The exact opposite will likely happen Thursday as air temperatures start the day above freezing, but the ground is still frozen, so our snow will take a while to melt on our roads and grass surfaces.