by Logan Gruber
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Snow caused a headache for commuters on the last night of November and the first morning of December.
About 5 inches of snow fell Monday night into Tuesday, bringing city crews out in earnest to clear roads and provide safe travel for residents. Public Works Director Terry Thene said the city used the following equipment for initial street plowing: four five-ton trucks, two loaders, one pickup with a plow, one tractor with a blower/broom for sidewalks, one tractor with a bucket and one skid loader.
Even though the snow was wet, Thene said city staff did well. He did note the power steering did fail on one of the plow trucks, and some other issues will need repair before the next snow fall.
While some vehicles were parked in alleyways, Thene said the police department did a good job of clearing vehicles from the streets.
Bob Weisman, meteorology professor at St. Cloud State University’s Atmospheric and Hydrologic Sciences Department, said 6.6 inches of snow had fallen at SCSU as of 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Weisman said he doesn’t foresee any more snow for the rest of the week, and in fact a good chunk of it will likely melt. On average, December is the St. Cloud area’s snowiest month with 10.5 inches on average. As of Wednesday, the area was about 2 inches below average for snowfall.
Vehicles drive on opposite sides of a snowpile on College Ave. N. the morning of Dec. 1. Snowfall Monday afternoon through early Tuesday caused a headache for drivers on their Monday evening and Tuesday morning commutes.
Crews with the College of St. Benedict cleared sidewalks and parking lots for the college after the snowfall Tuesday morning.
Large equipment, both public and private, could be seen rushing to take care of snow across the region Tuesday morning. Plows, blowers and salt were needed to deal with the 5 inches of snow reported across the area.
