Southern Minn. To Get Wet, Heavy Blanket Of Snow Overnight
OWATONNA, Minn. (WCCO) -- After a balmy stretch of days this month, towns all across Minnesota are preparing for a winter reality check.
As the night crept in on Owattona snowstorm following closely, the sweet sound of skate sharpening filled the room at Straight River Sports. Unfortunately it's one of the few noises heard there lately.
"It's been a quiet couple of weeks," said owner Ann Paulson. "We need the snow, we're excited about it. We need it to get cold again."
Snow and freezing temperatures give her business a spark.
"We rent skis and skates and we have a huge 'fat biking' community in this town and they're very anxious for it to snow," she said.
Fat Biking is mountain biking with much wider tires capable of handling snow. Across town at the public works department, city plow trucks are also prepared to challenge the white powder outside. They were already loaded with salt and sand by the afternoon, but keeping the roads from getting icy is only one of their concerns.
"When you get the heavy, wet snow it doesn't come off well," public works director Kyle Skov said. "Then if it gets cold and freezes, it becomes ice chunks, which is a problem."
That's partly why the city tried to get a head start on the storm. He said they pretreated intersections and bridge decks earlier in the day. By Wednesday morning, he said up to 14 plow trucks could be out working depending on the snow fall. He said they're expect 8 to 12 inches.
As crews get busy clearing the snow, others will be gearing up to enjoy it.
"We'll be out tomorrow night tromping down the trails with our snow shoes and getting ready to Fat Bike Wednesday night or Thursday," said Paulson.
Straight River Sports is hosting a Fat Bike demo Saturday at Kaplan Woods. Paulson was worried it was going to have to be canceled if not for the midweek storm.
