At the MnDOT garage in Arden Hills, a small team assembled Sunday afternoon. They had a simple job, almost enjoying what could be the calm before the storm.
"This is kind of an anomaly for us; we don't generally get snow obviously this early in the year. Our maintenance crews are ready to go, ready to fight the snow," MnDOT's Kent Barnard said.
The crew spent the afternoon taking "crash cushions" off rigs and replacing them with plows. Barnard says road crews aren't the only ones that should make some changes in anticipation for a snowy Monday morning commute. Drivers were involved in dozens of accidents on Saturday, after the cities got a dusting of snow. "Give yourself plenty of time to get to work, drive slowly, drive defensively," Barnard warned.
Meteorologists say the cities could be in for 1 to 3 inches as thousands head back to work after a chilly weekend.
A cool crisp weekend is great news for a man growing crisp apples in Dellwood. "It's a wait and see, you know, Mother Nature's the boss," John Jacobson of Pine Tree Apple Orchard said.
Jacobson, who's pulled in about 70% of his crop, says a freeze in the fall is fine, provided it is followed by a thaw. Snow that doesn't stick around doesn't do much damage, unless it keeps crowds from coming out.
"Its going to slow us down for maybe a day or two while it melts and goes away. We'll be back at business as soon as possible. The apples will be fine," Jacobson explained.
This early blast of snow is expected to slow us down, but Minnesotan's will not be standing still. The good news is the snow is not expected to stick around for too long.
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