[ad_1]
And yet, it was generally agreed that west-central Minnesota was spared the worst, compared to counties in the southern part of the state, where ice was blocking electricity by the thousands .
The toughest sleigh rides came from dawn to mid-afternoon. Wind-blown snow has reduced visibility and led the Minnesota Department of Transportation to issue non-trip notices and close some roads in many counties in the area early in the day.
Winds of more than 30 miles at the time have been reported in much of the area. According to the National Weather Service, a 58-mph gust was recorded Thursday morning at Redwood Falls, 53 mph at Clara City, and Willmar and Starbuck reported gusts of 51 mph. Snowfall ranged from 3.6 inches in Spicer to 10 inches in Bird Island late in the morning. Further west, Dawson reported 11 inches before 7 o'clock on Thursday and Ortonville was recording a total of 14 inches for the duration of the storm until Thursday afternoon.
Thunder, lightning and melted snow came with the powerful storm system.
But overall, "it was not as bad as it could have been," said Tim McCoy, MnDOT District 8 Maintenance Manager at Willmar. The fact that the ditches were empty helped, as well as the fact that many did not venture on the roads, he said.
Roads were compacted by snow and ice, but the major problem was reduced visibility, said Todd Miller, director of public works for Kandiyohi County. County plow operators in the southern part of the county experienced zero visibility, and even operators in more protected areas in the north of the county reported visibility issues.
Despite these conditions, no major problems were reported during the day.
"Touch wood," said Chippewa County Sheriff Derek Olson. Much of the county was under a travel notice all day, he reported. Firefighters in Montevideo reacted when a gas line was accidentally hit, but the incident was quickly brought under control. No serious accidents or broken motorists were reported.
"It could have been a lot worse," Sheriff Scott Hable said in Renville County. There have been a handful of reports of motorists stuck in the ditch or in the middle of the road, but unlike the storms earlier this winter, no emergency rescue was needed. County plows continued to run until 18 hours. and were expected at 5 pm Friday.
There were power outages. About 250 customers of the Kandiyohi Energy Cooperative were deprived of electricity for a period Thursday afternoon. The windblown wires mutilated and the wind hit a tree branch on a power line at another location, causing breakdowns, according to the cooperative. Power was restored around 3:00 pm to the affected customers.
Xcel Energy's customers in parts of Yellow Medicine County in the Hanley Falls, Hazel Run and Clarkfield areas also suffered a blackout on Thursday afternoon, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriffs in the area give a lot of warning to the storm to prevent many of them from going out and reduce the problems.
"You have not met a lot of people," said Sheriff Bill Flaten of the County of Yellow Medicine. His office received only a few reports of vehicles in ditches.
Talking Lake County issued a no-trip notice at the beginning of the day. Emergency Management Director Blain Johnson said the county has already seen one foot and a foot of snow in some places.
Medical clinics, from Willmar to Montevideo, closed early due to weather conditions. The offices of the city of Willmar closed early. Kandiyohi County also closed early county offices and county plows were withdrawn in the middle of the afternoon. Public events throughout the region have been canceled.
The snow totals of this storm system will not be known until the end of the day. The National Weather Service is planning a mix of snow and rain all day Friday. The winds will be moderate throughout the day, but bursts of more than 20 miles to the hour are expected late in the afternoon and into the evening.
[ad_2]
Source link