IN IS WCCO 4 NEWS.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
READY OR NOT MINNESOTA'S FIRST
BRUSH WITH WINTER WEATHER IS
HERE.
WHILE TWIN CITIES HOMEOWNERS
RAKE THEIR LEAVES FROM THEIR
LAWNS THIS AFTERNOON, SNOW
STARTED TO BLANKET THE
NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE
STATE.
3 INCHES COULD FALL OVERNIGHT
HERE.
WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE OF
THE SEASON'S FIRST WINTER
STORM.
INCLUDING KATE RADDATZ WITH
MnDOT'S PLAN FOR THE ROADS.
FIRST CHRIS SHAFFER AND THE
TIMING OF THE SNOW.
I KEEP TALKING ABOUT
TOMORROW'S BIG STORM, BUT IT'S
HAPPENING NOW UP IN
NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.
THE FLAKES HAVE BEEN PLAYING
FOR THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS.
SOME TOWNS, BEMIDJI, THIEF
RIVER FALLS, IT IS LIGHT AND IT
WILL CONTINUE TO FALL IN THE
AREA.
IT WILL TAKE A WHILE TO GET
HERE.
IN THE WARMER SECTOR RAIN
SHOWERS.
IN FACT, AS THIS SYSTEM
APPROACHES US, I DO BELIEVE WE
WILL SEE SOME RAINDROPS THAT
QUICKLY CHANGE OVER TO SNOW AND
IT WILL ACCUMULATE IN AREA.
THE MAIN CONCERN ISN'T EYE-
POPPING SNOW TOTALS.
IT'S THE WIND.
REMEMBER HOW STRONG IT WAS A
FEUDINGS?
IT WILL BE COMING FROM THE
NORTH 20 TO 25 MILES PER HOUR
WITH GUSTS OVER 30 MILES PER
HOUR.
MIX THAT IN WITH FALLING
SNOWFLAKES AND YOU HAVE POOR
VISIBILITY.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE
HEADLIGHTS ON TOMORROW, LEAVE
PLENTY OF SPACE.
I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT
EXPECT THE SNOW IN THE METRO
AND HOW MUCH WE WILL SEE BY THE
TIME IT WRAPS UP.
MnDOT SAYS IT IS READY FOR
TOMORROW'S SNOW.
IT HOPES THAT THE SAME HOLDS
TRUE FOR DRIVERS.
THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
HAS ACTUALLY BEEN GEARING UP
FOR THE FIRST SNOWFALL SINCE
LAST SPRING.
PLOWS WILL BE OUT WHERE NEEDED.
WCCO'S KATE RADDATZ FROM
MINNEAPOLIS KATE.
Reporter: HI, AMELIA.
WELL, IF YOU LIVE OR WORK IN
MINNEAPOLIS AND YOU MAYBE HAVE
ALREADY SEEN ONE OF THESE
SIGNS, THEY ARE NO PARKING
SIGNS LINING ALL THE STREETS
WHERE WE ARE IN THE UPTOWN AREA
AS CITY CREWS ARE WORKING HARD
TO TRY TO GET THE STREETS
CLEANED UP WITH THE LEAVES AND
SWEPT AS WINTER ISN'T THAT FAR
AWAY NOW.
As WE LOOK TO TOMORROW, MnDOT
SAYS EVEN IF WE GET A COUPLE OF
INCHES, EVEN IF IT DOESN'T
STICK, THEY ARE ASKING PEOPLE
TO SLOW DOWN.
WHO COULD FORGET THIS EPIC
HALLOWEEN SNOWSTORM IN 1991?
FRIDAY'S STORM MAY NOT BE AT
THAT LEVEL, BUT MnDOT STILL
ALWAYS HAS A FLEET OF PLOWS
READY TO GO.
WE STARTED PURCHASING SALT
AS EARLY AS MAY.
WORK HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE ON
THE TRACKS.
WE HAVE A PLACE THAT FABRICATES
OUR NEW TRUCKS, GETS THEM READY
TO GO.
THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ALL YEAR
LONG.
Reporter: THE FIRST FLAKES
ARE COMING EARLY THIS YEAR.
THE TWIN CITIES HASN'T HAD SNOW
THIS WEEK OF OCTOBER SINCE
2009.
I WOULDN'T SAY THIS IS
UNUSUAL, BUT I WOULDN'T SAY
IT'S USUAL EITHER.
Reporter: IT COMES WEEKS
AFTER MnDOT WRAPPED UP A FEW
SNOWPLOW OPERATOR TRAINING
SESSIONS.
THE PROGRAM IN ITS 14th CAREER
HAS TRAINED MORE THAN 1700
OPERATORS.
WE ARE READY.
WE WILL HAVE SUPERVISORS OUT
WATCHING THE ROADS.
WHEN IT GETS TO POINT WHERE WE
NEED TO GET PLOWS OUT, WE WILL
GET PLOWS OUT.
Reporter: COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR KEVIN GUTNEK SAYS THEY
WON'T BE PRETREATING THE ROADS
AHEAD OF FRIDAY'S FLAKES.
THE PAVEMENT IS STILL WARM.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE ICE
FORM RIGHT AWAY.
Reporter: HE SAYS THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING IS FOR DRIVERS
GET INTO A WINTER MENTALITY,
MEANING ANY AMOUNT OF MOISTURE
ON THE ROADS COULD CAUSE
TRAFFIC OR ACCIDENTS.
GET IT IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU
GOTTA SLOW DOWN.
Reporter: BECAUSE THE
TEMPERATURES ARE STILL PRETTY
MILD IT'S UNLIKELY THAT WE WILL
SEE ANY SNOW EMERGENCIES OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT DECLARED IN
THE METRO TOMORROW.
IF YOU ARE IN MINNEAPOLIS AND
YOU ARE WONDERING, HEY, WHEN IS
HIGH STREET GOING TO BE
CLEANED, THEY HAVE A HELPFUL
TOOL ONLINE.
WE HAVE THAT AT WCCO.COM/LINKS.
THANK YOU, KATE.
WHEN THE SNOW FLIES, PLEASE
SHARE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WITH US ON
SOCIAL MEDIA OR YOU CAN EMAIL
YOUR PICTURES TO
PHOTOS@WCCO.COM.
AND BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THE