So who's complaining?
Snowstorm doesn't quite live up to advance billing
Tuesday's snowstorm failed to live up to Monday's forecast of 10 to 14 inches of snow, but still made enough of a mess to close several schools, cancel area events and warrant travel advisories.
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Precipitation started not as snow but as light freezing rain, setting a thin coat of ice on area roadways. Just before noon, rain switched over to light snow and within an hour had turned into heavy snowfall with visibility less than a mile at times.
Area snow depths
Leader (8 miles north) - 7 inches.
Hackensack - 6.5.
Pequot Lakes (3 miles east) - 6.5.
Nisswa (3 miles northeast) - 5.5.
Brainerd (1 mile north) - 5.
Pillager (5 miles north) - 4.5.
Brainerd - 4.5 inches.
Breezy Point - 4.
Brainerd (3 miles north) - 3.7.
Source: National Weather Service trained spotters
Area postponements
• Due to the weather The Chamber of Commerce in Little Falls rescheduled its Business After Hours from Tuesday to 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday at Great River Arts Association, 122 First St. S.E. And the Brainerd Lakes Chamber's Business After Hours at Tom's TV Tuesday was rescheduled to March 31.
• Voting and annual meetings scheduled Tuesday in Oak Lawn, Crow Wing, Fort Ripley, Roosevelt, Fairfield, Perry Lake, Ideal, Bay Lake, St. Mathias and Rabbit Lake townships were postponed until Tuesday.
• The United Way's Lakes Area Team Challenge Biggest Loser weigh-in scheduled for Tuesday instead will be 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Westgate Mall.
Two-day forecast
• Wednesday - Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers in the morning. Northwest winds 15-20 mph will cause areas of blowing snow in the morning then patchy blowing snow in the afternoon. High temps 5 to 10 degrees with wind chill readings of 15 below to 25 below.
• Wednesday night - Partly cloudy with low temps of 12 below to 17 below and wind chills of 20 below to 30 below. West winds 10 to 15 mph.
• Thursday - Partly cloudy with high temps 18 to 23 degrees and wind chill readings 20 below to 30 below. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
Source: National Weather Service.
By 2:30 p.m., when the snowfall tapered off, Brainerd had 2.5 inches of snow. The snow picked up again about 5 p.m. and by 7 p.m. there was 4 inches of snow on the ground. By 8:30 p.m. 4.5 inches were on the ground, with more snow expected through Tuesday night.
"It's just coming in waves." said Amanda Graning, meteorologist with the weather service. "It keeps circulating in northern Minnesota until it lifts out late (Tuesday night). The main thing with this right now is restricted visibility and gusty winds which are going to continue into Wednesday."
Aftyn Arnold (left), Lowell Elementary School student, walked with her mom, Amanda, and sister, Ella, after school was closed early Tuesday afternoon as a result of the snowstorm. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls» Purchase reprints of this photo.
A winter storm warning was in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Several area schools were closed and events postponed Tuesday because of the weather.
Schools closing early Tuesday included Aitkin, Brainerd, Crosby-Ironton, Little Falls, Pequot Lakes, Staples-Motley, Verndale, Northwest Technical College in Wadena, Pillager, Crosslake Community School and Pine River-Backus.
Several townships also postponed their township elections and annual meetings to Tuesday, including Oak Lawn, Crow Wing, Fort Ripley, Roosevelt, Fairfield, Perry, Lake, Ideal, Bay Lake and Rabbit Lake. St. Mathias Township did not have their elections scheduled but did postpone their annual meetings to Tuesday.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation in St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon issued a difficult driving alert with no travel recommended for Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties because of heavy snow, reduced visibility, slick roads and blowing snow.
Vehicles moved carefully along Washington Street near the Mississippi River bridge Tuesday at dusk where visibility was limited by falling snow and four inches of already fallen snow made roads slick. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey» Purchase reprints of this photo.
Tom Wryk, MnDOT maintenance supervisor in Baxter, offered a different opinion Tuesday afternoon, rating the driving conditions as fair to poor.
"Surprisingly enough we're not seeing a lot of compaction yet except in towns and sheltered areas," Wryk said. That was expected to change before Wednesday as more snow fell and winds picked up, he said.
All 45 of MnDOT's plow trucks in Baxter were operating in shifts Tuesday and into Wednesday morning to clear roads.
"We're out and about and we'll keep around the clock coverage until the winds and snow let up, as long as the guys can see where they are going," Wryk said.
From the looks of things early Tuesday night, it will be a while before any one sets sail on area waters. The snow piled up around the sign at the Westgate Mall. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.
Jeff Hulsether, Brainerd city engineer, said as of Tuesday afternoon there was no plan to declare a snow emergency in Brainerd.
Instead, city crews would start plowing early Wednesday morning with the goal of clearing city streets in one day. Hulsether reminded residents that if their vehicle is plowed around and not moved within 48 hours, they will be ticketed and towed.
"We'd encourage people to find off-street parking to assist us in getting everything plowed in one day," Hulsether said.
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.