Southern Minnesota Buried By Springtime Snowstorm
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Old Man Winter isn't done with us yet.
After an anemic season for snow, a spring storm dumped more than a foot of it on parts of Minnesota, forcing some schools to close.
While Minneapolis saw only four inches, the hardest hit places were south of the metro. Zumbrota is digging out from a whopping 12.3 inches, and many south metro communities in Dakota, Carver and Scott counties got 8 or 9 inches.
Slick roads kept the Minnesota State Patrol busy with several hundred crashes and spinouts by Sunday night. Twenty people were injured in those accidents.
It's that heavy, wet snow that sticks to tree branches and makes shoveling no small task. Fortunately, with temperatures in the mid-30s most of the day, we're already seeing some melting.
Forecasters say the heaviest snow hit the Twin Cities around dinner time Sunday at a rate of about 2 inches per hour. Temperatures in the metro area are forecast in the 40s this week, so any accumulation shouldn't be around long.
A Pummeling In Lakeville - WCCO-TV's Ashley Roberts Reports
Lakeville residents woke to 9.7 inches of snow Monday morning, turning the city into a springtime winter wonderland.
People said they thought the winter-like conditions were over and done with, but Mother Nature had other plans, blanketing neighborhoods and businesses overnight.
Work crews spent most of the morning plowing local parking lots and sidewalks.
Drivers also had their work cut out for them.
"I think my initial reaction was, 'Oh no," Lakeville resident Josh O'Brien said.
By afternoon, some of the snow had already melted away with the temperature hovering in the mid-30s.
Flurries In Jordan - WCCO TV's Angela Davis Reports
Take a short drive south on Highway 169 to Jordan and you'll see a blanket of snow weighing down trees and decorating houses.
Will Doble was clearing his driveway Monday morning with his dog, Thor, by his side.
"The whole year it was quite light and, of course, you get to March and it does this," he said.
Doble's snowmobiles and boats are now covered, waiting for this battle of the seasons to be over.
Across the street, Vera Haus is clearing her driveway, too.
"Oh yes, I've done a lot of shoveling in March," she said.
What makes this late March snowfall difficult is the warm spell we had just a week ago.
"We'll probably get some more yet," Haus said.
Snowmobilers Enjoy An Extended Season - WCCO-TV's Angela Davis Reports
Snowmobilers who'd packed up their sleds for the season set them free once more. They say the snow drifts are as high as a foot and a half in some places.
"I went to Colorado snowmobiling," Tim Duff said. "I just got back, so this is a good treat. I put my sled away, and I pulled it back out."
And if you're a kid, it doesn't matter what the calendar says -- snow is always a welcome sight.
The Jirik family knew not to put their kids' snowsuits away just yet, even though just a couple of days ago they were on the swings in the backyard.
"This happens pretty much every year," Matt Jirik said. "It shouldn't be too much of a surprise. You've just got to wait and see where it pops up in the forecast."
On Monday, the Jiriks were building a snow fort.
"Winter was kind of disappointing, as far as snowfall," Nancy Jirik said. "I'm happy about it."
Schools in Jordan started a couple of hours late Monday morning and down in Rochester, Faribault and Zumbrota -- where they got a foot of snow -- schools were closed.
