Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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The city of St. Paul ticketed about 1,000 vehicles Wednesday for not moving out of snowplow routes. Minneapolis officials said the city issued 798 tickets and towed 225 vehicles as of Thursday morning.

Tuesday’s snowstorm left the Twin Cities 

 of wet, heavy snow. It covered southern and eastern parts of the state, shutting down highways including Interstate 90 between Luverne and Albert Lea for much of Wednesday. Many school districts canceled in-person classes.

Sean Kershaw, the St. Paul director of public works, said the last two snow emergencies left a light and fluffy snow cover that was easy to plow. He said the recent snow has been repeatedly warmed by the sun and compacted by cars, leaving it hardened and filled with ruts.

“It really hardens in the parking lanes and near the curbs,” Kershaw said. “We got snow at a warm temperature, temperature dropped, and it kind of turns into concrete. What we’ve found so far is the plow blades are pushing it up.”

Kershaw said the plows might not clear the streets down to pavement, but they can remove the drifts and deep tire tracks. The warmer temperatures expected over the next several days will help clear the remaining snow. 

The ice will create more potholes, but Kershaw said the city is planning to fill them next week. 

Plows have been driving slower normal, but they’re expected to finish their routes by Thursday evening.  

“The faster you drive your plow, the easier it is to move the snow,” Kershaw said. “In this wet, heavy snow, if you drive the plow too fast it throws it up and onto the sidewalk.”     

Cars that don’t move out of the way of the plows can get stuck in the snowdrifts the plows kick up. Drivers can check snowplow routes and schedules at St. Paul’s 

The Payne-Phalen and Highland neighborhoods are under an experimental plow route system. Kershaw said compliance was better than the last snow emergency. The city towed zero cars in Highland and less than six in Payne-Phalen.

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Tuesday’s snowstorm left the Twin Cities blanketed in almost 10 inches of wet, heavy snow.

A person stands near the road by a bus stop.

St. Paul carefully plowing Tuesday’s ‘concrete’ snow

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