Early snowfall whites out fall colors

Richard Sennott, Star Tribune

Early snow fall blankets the Twin Cities with 3 inches of heavy wet snow. These trees frame a snow scene near Lake Of The Isles in Minneapolis.

Areas of the metro see more than 4 inches of snow

Star Tribune

Last update: October 12, 2009 - 8:45 PM

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On Oct. 12, were we ready for winter? "Actually, no," said Mike Kennedy, who coordinates plowing and other street duties for the city of Minneapolis.

Monday's 2.4 inches of snow -- the most in the Twin Cities on or before Oct. 12 in 32 years -- arrived with most leaves still on the trees. A few trucks were converted to treat possibly slippery bridges and overpasses, but Kennedy noted that the city hasn't even begun its fall street-sweeping program, its usual prelude to winter. That usually runs from mid-October to mid-November.

The St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota received 4.2 inches Monday, and totals between 3 and 4 inches were reported from Plymouth to Stillwater. Before Saturday, when 0.3 inches fell, the metro area hadn't received measurable snow in October in seven years. Snow in the first half of October has fallen only eight times in the past 60 years.

Metro freeways had dried by Monday afternoon, and most rush-hour traffic moved smoothly.

What snow is left will vanish about as fast as the Twins in the playoffs. Daily highs will climb through the 40s to the mid-50s by the weekend.

BILL MCAULIFFE