Winter makes slippery return

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- It was the same story around New Ulm as it was all across Minnesota on Monday morning.

Winter returned, affecting almost everyone from school children to commuters.

Roads were slippery, cars and trucks were found in the ditches beside highways and the whole state was covered in a thin blanket of fresh, white snow. The wind whipped and blew white snowflakes in nearly every direction.

And while the changeover from the 50 and 60-degree highs to heavy snow and winter temperatures might have taken some by surprise, there were a few others, like Brown County Highway Maintenance Engineer Gordy Lorenzen, who weren't surprised one bit.

"I'm glad it waited this long," he said from the Highway Department's shop in Springfield.

Steve Fluegge, co-owner of SSL Auto Care in New Ulm, said he handled a total of eight calls throughout the day. Fluegge said he towed two cars, unlocked three and jump-started three more.

"It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," he said.

The National Weather Service issued several storm warnings Monday all across the state, including a blizzard warning for west central Minnesota and winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for much of the rest of the state.

Anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow was expected over much of Minnesota by this afternoon.

By noon Monday snow falls ranged as high as 3 inches in Redwood Falls and Gaylord.

Winds generally stayed in between 20 to 30 miles per hour. Mid-afternoon temperatures ranged from the mid-20s to mid-30s. Visibility on state highways dropped as low as a quarter of a mile in southwestern and south-central Minnesota.

Around New Ulm, temperatures reached a high of 33 degrees and sank to 29 degrees. Approximately 2.7 inches of snow fell with .43 moisture, according to National Weather Service observer Lonnie Spaeth. The snow started around 2 a.m. Monday.

By 2 p.m., most area schools were closed because of the conditions, including Nicollet, Sleepy Eye, New Ulm, Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop among others.

Sheriff's departments in Sibley and Nicollet counties reported numerous accidents on their roads where vehicles had slid into roadside ditches, including a tractor and trailer that slid off State Highway 99 near Nicollet around 2 p.m. The Brown County Sheriff's Department only saw a few weather-related accidents. In New Ulm, the New Ulm Police Department reported two traffic accidents that happened because of the weather.

Earlier Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation issued a statement advising motorists not to travel west of State Highway 15 unless necessary. By 3:30 p.m., the MnDOT office in Windom reported that highways east of Worthington were in fair condition with improved visibility and snowplow operators making progress.

State highways west of Worthington remained in poor condition as snow was still blowing, causing slippery and compacted road surfaces. MnDOT's Mankato office said winter driving conditions in that district were "fair to good", with state highways south and east of Mankato in better condition than those north of that city.

"This a major storm," said MnDOT representative Rebecca Arndt in Mankato on Monday afternoon. "We're taking it very seriously and we're out working hard."

Lorenzen, as well as highway engineers Mike Wagner of Nicollet County and Nathan Richman of Sibley County, said their road plowing crews will start working at 5 a.m. today and will continue as long as necessary until the weather dies down.

Richman echoed Lorenzen when he said he wasn't surprised at the snow, but added that he was glad it came after Thanksgiving than before, as there is less traffic on roads.

Wagner said his crews are aiming to have Sibley County roads cleared before schools open today.

"It's nice that it waited as long as it did," Wagner said. "But it had to come."

--The Associated Press contributed to this story.