Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

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Blizzo, Clearopathtra, Han Snowlo and five other newly named plows will soon be clearing snow from highways across Minnesota.

A storm of winter puns swept across the state Wednesday as the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced the winners of its third annual “Name a Snowplow” contest.

This winter’s winning names, in order of votes received:

The names will be added to one plow in each of the districts listed above. More than 64,000 people cast ballots in this winter’s contest.

MnDOT said it received more than 10,400 name ideas in December, which were narrowed to 60 finalists that went up for the online vote.

The agency also said that in addition to the now-24 winners of the annual contest, staff in northeast Minnesota’s District 1 added another named plow to their fleet in 2022.

“Giiwedin, the Ojibwe word for the North Wind, is stationed at MnDOT’s Duluth Truck Station and covers Highway 33 near the Fond du Lac Reservation,” the agency reported.

Past MnDOT “Name a Snowplow” contest winners

(64,075 voters cast ballots; voters could choose up to eight names)

Minnesota News

Weather and Climate News

Transportation

Tim Nelson

Author

Blizzo, Clearopathtra, Han Snowlo and five other newly named plows will soon be clearing snow from state highways. The Minnesota Department of Transportation unveiled the winning names Wednesday. Blizzo came in second to “Yer a Blizzard, Harry.”

About darn time: Blizzo wins big in MnDOT's 'Name a Snowplow' contest

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