MINNEAPOLIS — Steve DeBella didn’t really believe it until he saw it.
He left work in the West Metro around 4:30 p.m., only to find snow falling at a rate of about an inch per hour in his parking lot. After dusting off his windshield in record time – like a pro – DeBella prepared to make the drive home during one of the earliest and most powerful Minnesota snowstorms in history.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be this crazy. I really didn’t. I thought we might get a couple inches. This, is nuts,” DeBella said, before turning to sarcasm. “It’s a blast… really.”
Drivers across the state could relate. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, law enforcement responded to 346 crashes between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. alone, including 34 with injuries and one serious incident near Motley. The State Patrol also reported 345 spin-outs and a total of 17 jackknifed semis.
Traffic crawled on most of the major highways during the afternoon commute, despite lighter traffic due to the pandemic. A trip from St. Paul to the West Metro took about an hour during the height of the storm – perhaps the longest trip for some drivers since traffic volume dropped last March.
“It went pretty fast. It is heavy,” DeBella said before hopping in his car. “Hope everybody’s safe out there.”
From the snow-filled lawn of the governor’s mansion on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Gov. Tim Walz posted a video of himself Tuesday afternoon urging drivers to exercise caution.
“Yes, October 20th of 2020, of course, we’re going to get the deepest measurable snowfall since 1916," Walz said. “Just a friendly reminder, slow down on the roads. Give a little bit of extra space … Minnesotans are ready for winter.”
Even for the hardiest Minnesotans, this significant snowfall on Oct. 20 was a major frustration.
For others, though – like professor/wildlife photographer Matt Nowakowski – the fall snowstorm created the perfect conditions for an outing with a DSLR camera.
He’d been looking forward to capturing the moment since Monday, when he first learned of the forecast.
“It’s a really unique time to take pictures,” Nowakowski said. “The first thing I thought of, was, I gotta put my camera battery on the charger because I know I gotta go out there tomorrow.”
As the snow fell, Nowakowski snapped photos of loons and geese in the water at West Medicine Lake Park in Plymouth, enjoying the striking and rare combination of fall colors, bright blue lake waters and snow-covered trees.
At least someone was enjoying the weather.
“I love the snow, I love the cold,” Nowakowski said. “You know, I’m really happy to be out here. And no mosquitos.”
Then again, Nowakowski didn’t have to drive in this stuff.
“I wish it would go away,” Steve DeBella said in his work parking lot. “I wanted fall to last just a little bit longer.”
