There were several pileups and landslides on the subway.
On Interstate 35E heading south, near Lino Lakes, a chain reaction accident left a tangle of crushed cars and caused a big backup.
“People forget how to drive once it starts to snow,” said Ryan Fields, who lives in White Bear Township. “You need to slow down and pay attention.”
Roadside cameras captured images of a 12-car pileup in Maplewood, on Highway 36, near White Bear Avenue.
But there were slippery conditions outside the metropolitan area.
Minnesota State Patrol tweeted a photo of a pickup overturned in Clearwater.
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“Cold when I left the mall, it was fun to leave,” said Timmons. “I tried to go on the back roads to not hit anything.”
The rapid change in precipitation caused wet roads earlier in the day, setting the stage for difficult driving conditions, said the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“We are really trying not to have wet roads at any point, because this is the glue that sticks to the snow,” explained MnDOT spokeswoman Anne Meyer. “Our materials just don’t work well when temperatures are 15 degrees or less. So it will only take time for our salt, our brine, all of that, to be active.”
Still, some are hailing the snow as a celebration of the season.
“I could go for more,” said Fields. “I mean, I’m fine with that.”
Asked if he is looking forward to a white Christmas, he added, “Oh, absolutely.”
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But first, there are many other challenges on the roads.
MnDOT said it has 800 plows on Minnesota highways, operated by 1,800 operators.
Meyer said they work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 12-hour shifts.
But falling temperatures mean more challenges on the roads.
This includes snow patches caused by gusts and snow currents, making visibility even more dangerous, especially at night.
“First snow, first bad snow,” said Timmons, shaking his head.
“So, a return to driving school?” she was asked.
“Yes, yes,” she agreed. “Although I think most people slow down for the most part, be careful at first.”