Minnesota sees heavy snowfall in Saturday storm

(KMSP) - Although it isn't the first official snowfall of the season, Saturday’s significant totals can be viewed as a transition into the winter weather ahead.

For Minnesotans who like snow, they say, "It’s about time."

We've had the cold weather, but they're hoping this snow sticks around for a while.

"Right now the roads are real bad - Slippery, icy - you can't see what lane you are in so it’s best to get off the road if you are out there,” said Edward Sheffield, a semi-truck driver.

Sheffield is hauling a truckload of plastic containers from Minnesota to Virginia, but he had a make a pit stop outside Northfield because the roads were so bad.

"You are not making no money if the wheels ain't turning, but what can you do?” he asked. “I'd rather be here safe than be out there stuck in a ditch or worse."

Minnesota's latest blast of winter may have looked like a real life snow globe, but it also made for slow going on metro highways as motorists got a crash course in winter driving skills.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Just kind of snow-covered right now. The other day coming home in that slick seemed kind of worse, so just kind of snow-packed as long as you go slow it seems OK,” said Tonya Strese of Lonsdale.

At Buck Hill in Burnsville, the fresh coat of powder was a welcome sight for skiers and snowboarders because it was made by Mother Nature instead of a machine.

"We're just out here skiing, but we didn't think it would be snowing this bad,” said Declan Folger and Braxsen Seidel. “It’s snowing real bad. I can't see anything out of my googles. We're packing up and ready to go."

Back in Northfield, Sheffield says he'll wait out the snowstorm in the cab of his semi rather than take any chances trying to get back out on the road.

"If you're out here all you can do is deal with it, can't change it,” Sheffield said. “Make the best of the situation. I got a TV, a refrigerator and a bed so I'm good."

The State Patrol says there is some blowing and drifting snow, so visibility may be an issue particularly in the southern part of the state, but most of the people we talked to say, ‘What else do you expect in December in Minnesota?’

CRASH NUMBERS

The Minnesota State Patrol says there were 191 crashes on Minnesota roads between noon and 9:45 p.m. Saturday. 

18 of those crashes included injuries, one caused a serious injury and none were fatal. 

155 vehicles spun out and six semi trucks jackknifed, too.