Folks Take Advantage Of Warm Weather Before Big Freeze Arrives
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - After weeks of agonizing cold, a winter warm-up was the perfect tonic for stir-crazy Minnesotans.
The Mounds View Nordic team strapped on their cross-country skis to make the most of the day at Como Park's ski area in St. Paul. Darlene Fry and her daughter Emma were also there to get in some badly-needed winter fun.
"It's nice, very nice," Fry said. "We heard it's supposed to go down again next week, so it's good timing."
On ice rinks around the metro, skaters were gliding with ease and comfort. And at the Wirth Park tubing hill in Minneapolis, even a malfunctioning tow rope couldn't keep the sliders away.
With ample snow and warmer temperatures, this is what a holiday break is meant to be: fun - and a little craziness - with family and friends.
But it wasn't just about play on this rare day. Spencer Miller and his brother were out with shovels in hand, sharing the duties.
"Today seems like, according to the weather forecast, is going to be the last, real warmish day," Miller said. "It's supposed to get cold snap and we don't want the stuff to freeze onto everything and be a potential hazard."
Up and down city streets, plows were out cleaning up before the next big one comes down.
And at car washes across the metro, drivers were riding their rigs of salt while the temperatures cooperated. What's liquid Friday could become frozen doors and locks come Sunday.
And on rooftops all over the state, thick blankets of snow are now forming destructive ice dams.
Jose Salazar and his Sela roofing crew have been busy clearing the snow to prevent things from getting any worse.
He knows all too well that it's been a harsh December.
"We don't have that much snow this early in the year most of the time. It's like mid-January, February," Salazar said. "Now it's kind of early this year."
The experts say inadequate attic insulation causes the snow to melt on the shingles and run down, forming the ice dams.
If that's the case with your home, the best short-term fix is to scrap the roof of snow and even install heating coils.
Simply throwing those chemical pucks up onto the trouble spots probably isn't enough.
