Minnesotans fired up snowblowers and wielded shovels Wednesday to dig out from under the biggest November snowstorm to hit the state in nearly two decades — and that's just the beginning of the wintry weather.
The forecast calls for additional precipitation as soon as Friday evening, with the potential to further snarl Thanksgiving holiday weekend travel with another 6-inch blanket of heavy snow. By Saturday afternoon, flakes are likely to turn to freezing rain and a wintry mix as tens of thousands of fans flock to TCF Bank Stadium for the big football game between the Gophers and Badgers.
"There will be implications from the weather, but it shouldn't be anything that would ruin the experience," said Brent Hewett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. "We're hearty Minnesotans, so we can throw on a few extra layers, get a poncho on and stand out there to root for the team."
Across the state, snowfall totals from Tuesday night into Wednesday ranged from 5 inches to a foot. From 9:45 p.m. Tuesday to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, the State Patrol responded to 385 crashes, 565 spinouts and 24 jackknifed semitrailer trucks.
Cities across the state, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, declared snow emergencies, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) deployed its full fleet of snowplows.
But blustery winds added to the challenge of removing the heavy, wet snow, which compacted and froze on pavement, creating a washboard effect. Bridges and ramps were particularly icy, said Anne Meyer, a MnDOT spokeswoman.
In St. Paul, plows were tackling main streets on Wednesday before clearing residential streets once the snow emergency went into effect later in the evening. Other streets won't get plowed until Friday, said Lisa Hiebert of the city's Public Works Department.
On the University of Minnesota campus, where classes were canceled because of the storm, dozens of people worked in shifts to get TCF Bank Stadium ready for Saturday's game.