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Season's first significant snow storm hits Minnesota
November 23, 2003

In recent winters, the Twin Cities hasn't had significant snow until well into December. The last snowstorm of 12" or more was in March 2002. (MPR Photo/Bob Collins)

St. Paul, Minn. — Vikings fans struggled to put up their tailgating tents while interstate traffic narrowed to a single lane Sunday as the first significant snow storm hit Minnesota.

"The big show is happening," said Seth Binau, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

A good portion of Minnesota, particularly in the east, was expected to receive 6-to-8 inches of snow by day's end in the state's first widespread storm of the season, Binau said.

"It's finally here," said Dave Smith, of Dave's Scooters and Snowplowing LLC. "It's good for me. It's good for the snowmobile industry. It's good for everybody who relies on it."

Smith, who has been snowplowing for four years, took a coffee break in Edina to let the snow settle before heading back on his rounds.

"It's just wet underneath and that's going to be the problem for plowing and shoveling - seven inches under west slush, it's going to be a mess," Smith said.

Delays at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport were 15 minutes or less Sunday morning. However, some flights coming into the airport were being delayed at their departure points.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation had about 180 trucks on metro roadways.

Although MnDOT said it's cutting back some of its snowplowing operations because of budget cuts, spokesman Kent Barnard said they are in full force during major snowfalls like this weekend.

"We're a 24-hour operation right now as long as we're getting white stuff coming down," Barnard said.

Snow was expected to tamper off by afternoon, except in a pocket just north of the Twin Cities near Princeton and Cambridge where the storm was expected to dwindle. After the snow, winds were forecast to pick up Sunday night, reaching over 30 miles per hour.

"They'll be howling really good," Binau said. "Traveling is not going to be good for anywhere in Minnesota."

Despite the hype, the winter storm is normal for November in Minnesota, he said.

"This isn't even a huge storm for Minnesota standards," Binau said. "It's going to be a good storm."

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