Warmer Temps Makes President's Day Snow Bearable
CHAMPLIN, Minn. (WCCO) -- When the snow is piled so high that your neighborhood is almost unrecognizable, why not grab your friends and pile on.
While the kids built snow forts and had snowball fights in one Champlin neighborhood, the adults worked by clearing sidewalks and driveways. Katie Matzke says the milder temperatures make this storm much easier to endure.
"Today is just great. The kids can get out and have so much fun in the snow, and get some of their wiggles out, whereas before when it was so cold they couldn't even go outside," Katie Matzke said. "I mean, it was just plain too dangerous. So they're not bouncing off the walls as much as they were before."
Some people, like Vamilar Ngungkpan, seem almost deflated.
"Yes, there's nothing I can do," Ngungkpan said. "It's nature, so I just got to deal with it."
Driving in the snow is always a challenge, but even more so when snow piles obstruct your view.
"People just got to be careful though, with the snow plow coming through and snow is piled up," he said.
Jon Matzke says the snow is piled so high in the neighborhood that it almost serves as privacy fence.
"It's harder and harder to get the snow off the sidewalks without blowing it into the street and finding places for it," Jon Matzke said.
Fire hydrants and mailboxes are nearly covered. Up and down the street, we saw neighbors throwing the snow out of the way, and thinking about their next chore.
"Now I got to get the snow off the roof because I'm afraid of ice dams, he said. "It's going to be thawing and then freezing again. But today is nice."
Many metro cities are reminding their residents to shovel sidewalks, around garbage carts and the fire hydrants closest to their homes.
Snow emergencies have been declared in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Golden Valley, Plymouth, Robbinsdale and Eden Prairie just to name a few. Click here to see the snow emergency status of your city.