October Snow Catches Minnesota Drivers Off-Guard
HAM LAKE, Minn. (WCCO) -- Our first taste of winter is here.
The Minnesota State Patrol says the weather has contributed more than 300 crashes and spinouts across the state, including two fatalities in Duluth and Brainerd. In the Twin Cities metro, we've had a steady coating of flurries.
Farther north, the weather is really making its presence known. The powerful wind has pushed Lake Superior into Duluth's Canal Park. Giant waves crashing over the sea wall flooded a good portion of The Lakewalk.
Drivers across the state said it's a bit of a shock to the system to drive in snow in October.
St. Cloud residents woke up to a blanket of fresh white snow. Some parts of the Duluth area got Close to 10 inches. In the Twin Cities, a lot of the snow melted on contact -- but not in the north Metro. It caught a lot of drivers off guard.
"People forget how to drive during the first snow," Tyler Thompson of Shakopee said.
The snow is the earliest we've seen since 2009 -- too early for some.
MNdot didn't pre-treat the roads for this storm because the temperatures should stay mild, and most of the snow will melt. But this is only the beginning -- so you better find a way to enjoy it.
"I'm not an outdoorsy person but I like watching it from my window," Maureen Green of Ham Lake said.
MNdot says it does have crews out all over the state. The plows are, for the most part, in the Duluth area. That's where they're really watching, because if temperatures do drop or stay below freezing, they'll have to put salt down.
