Minnesota workers brave cold, blizzard conditions

Ayane Jarso walked to work at 5:30 a.m. Friday and almost turned around.

"It felt like little shards of glass were hitting my face," she said of her early-morning slog.

But people need their coffee — and with the early-morning temperature at 12 below, they needed it more than ever. So Jarso, a barista at a Caribou Coffee on W. 7th Street in St. Paul, kept on walking and opened the shop.

In Edina, Tyler Clendenen set out on another long, cold day delivering holiday mail for the U.S. Postal Service.

"I've got hand warmers, two pairs of gloves and two pairs of sweatpants," he said. The key, is to "keep moving. Keep your legs moving, keep your heart pumping."

While many Minnesotans curled up inside as the holiday weekend approached, Jarso and Clendenen were among the many who were on the job in this winter's most bitter cold so far, with gusty winds and blowing snow hobbling swaths of the state.

"I love Minnesota," said Guy Beaulieu, shifting boxes and bags of donations in the alley behind Arc's Value Village in Richfield. "I haven't even broken out my cold-weather gear yet."

In Duluth, the Lake Superior Zoo was open, despite wind gusts up to 50 mph and a 25-below windchill. Zookeepers were kept company by hardy visitors and a menagerie of arctic blast-loving creatures, said Lizzy Larson, director of animal management.

Taj, the Amur tiger, and Kiran, the snow leopard, both hail from cold climates and "absolutely love this weather," Larson said.

And when they've had enough, the animals can retreat to indoor areas or heated rocks to warm their paws. But zookeepers were cycling through hand and toe warmers.

"And we might move ourselves a little faster," Larson said.

In the Twin Cities, Metro Transit maintained 99% of its service operations Friday, according to spokesman Drew Kerr. "It's been a typical day for us; we've not reduced service at all," he said.

On the Route 63 bus, driver Judy Jackson expertly maneuvered her rig along Grand Avenue among darting pedestrians, idling UPS trucks, motorists attempting to parallel park and pavement as slick as newly waxed linoleum.

"The roads aren't great," said Jackson. "The smallest incline sets you back."

Ryan Haugen of Good Stuff Moving was hustling a hand truck down the sidewalk on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul.

"On a day like this, you almost feel like nobody should be working," he said. "But you have to make a living."

The North Shore's Lutsen Mountain operated just one run Friday, on the leeward side. At least 200 people skied, said General Manager Jim Vick, taking advantage of the 7 feet of snow the mountain has gotten already this season. Lift operators and groomers worked shorter shifts to account for the numbing wind.

"We have a number of guests, this is maybe the one time a year they go skiing," Vick said. "So we are able to operate and they are out."

State troopers were among those who didn't get a work break amid the subzero temps and blizzard-like conditions. Many were patrolling roads across the state as drifting snow worsened visibility.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, we're kind of used to this type of weather," said Sgt. Troy Christianson, whose morning commute from Preston to Rochester took 15 minutes longer than usual. "We're bundled up pretty good to stay warm, of course."

Hennepin Healthcare workers continued to serve patients at clinics and the hospital. Since Sunday, the emergency department had treated 45 patients with "cold weather exposure concerns, including frostbite and hypothermia," spokeswoman Christine Hill said.

"Our staff are committed to making sure they get in to care for patients," she said. "We're so appreciative of anyone getting to work in this challenging weather."

And some things are worth the trip, no matter the weather.

At Perrier Wine & Liquors on St. Paul's Grand Avenue, clerk Yuki Chavez said business had been steady. Wine has been a brisk seller, as well as liquor for holiday gifts and tiny bottles of spirits for stocking stuffers.

"Despite the weather, people will still make the trek to the liquor store," she said.

Staff writers Jana Hollingsworth, Janet Moore and Ryan Faircloth contributed to this report.