Winter storm leaves mark on area

Just when we start to see the spring light at the end of the winter tunnel, we get another blast of snow, cold and wind.
Although initial weather reports called for 6-8 inches of snow in the Minneota area, the recent winter storm dropped less than expected, around 3-4 inches on Tuesday. Even so, high winds made driving treacherous on drifted roads.
Students had a digital learning day on Tuesday as administrators decided the roads were not safe for buses to travel on.
The City of Minneota declared a snow emergency on Monday with plowing beginning at 4 a.m. Vehicles parked on the roads during the snow emergency were also ticketed beginning at that time.
The Minneota girls and boys basketball road games schedule for Monday night were postponed to a later date. The girls were scheduled to play at Mayer Lutheran, a 125-mile drive to Mayer. That game was rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24. The boys basketball team was slated to play Dawson-Boyd in Dawson and was postponed until Monday, Feb. 28.
Basketball and Community Education athletic after-school practices were cancelled on Tuesday.
Frigid temperatures also made it uncomfortable for those working outside. Tuesday's high temperature was -3 degrees with a wind chill factor of -27. Winds were around 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 miles per hour, causing poor visibility in some areas.
Although roads in town were slick from compacted snow, Police Chief Bill Bolt reported no "fender benders" or any other type of accidents. He also gave out no tickets for vehicles parked on the streets during the snow emergency.
Wednesday was sunny but cold. Roads continued to be icy in the morning on Wednesday as road chemicals do not work well in cold temperatures and vehicle exhaust will freeze to exposed pavement, causing black ice.
The high on Wednesday was 0 degrees, and the wind chill was a brutal -36 degrees.
Temperatures are expected to warm up as the weekend approaches. Saturday's high is expected to be 33 degrees, Sunday will be 25 degrees, Monday around 32 degrees, and Tuesday near 40 degrees.
Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all.