Cliff Buchan
News Editor

It was probably the worst pair of winter storms to come down the pike in 16 years, but the Forest Lake area has managed to withstand the one-two winter punch.

In two snow storms over the course of a week nearly 24 inches of snow fell here, but by most accounts, life carried on despite the inconvenience.

The area had just dug out from 10.5 inches of snow on Feb. 24-25 when the second storm barreled out of the southwest. Another 13.5 inches of the white stuff fell from March 1 through March 3.

Gusty winds created additional problems of blowing and drifting snow.

But by official reports from city and school district officials, the area withstood the storm with no major events reported.

There were multiple car crashes and snow plow crews could not keep up on Friday, thanks to the heavy snow and the drifting.

“Most people seemed to hunker down,” said Clark Quiring, Forest Lake chief of police.

With many folks staying at home, the congestion in the area was greatly reduced, the chief said.

Plow crews busy

Mike Tate, supervisor of utilities for the city, was one of nine city employees to climb behind the wheel of plow trucks to keep city streets open.

“We haven’t had anything like this since the Halloween storm,” Tate said, talking about the late October and early November storm of 1991.

“It was a good challenge,” he said, speaking about last weekend’s storm.

City plow crews were out from 2 a.m. Thursday to around 1 p.m. before taking a break. They were back on the streets late Thursday night.

Tate said his crews encountered minor equipment problems, but were bothered most by private plowing efforts that pushed snow into the roadways, making it more difficult for the city plows. Vehicles parked on streets were also a headache, Tate said.

As the bright sunshine greeted the new week, Tate’s crew was back at it, moving snow away from fire hydrants and removing snow piles from sidewalk areas that plow crews created while widening intersections.

Tate and Quiring said the city would allow businesses and home owners additional time to clear sidewalks in light of the heavy amount of snow that hit the area last weekend.

Tate also appealed to anyone plowing driveways not to push snow into the streets. City crews will deliver reminders to those homes where the violations were reported.

School impact

John Gray, supervisor of transportation for ISD 831, said no problems with bussing were reported last week.

There was no school on Friday and early release on Thursday. Forest Lake was among the last of area schools to close early on March 1.

That is always a tough call, Gray said.

“It (the snow) started at about 8 or 8:30 a.m. on Thursday,” he said, pointing to the snow’s arrival that came earlier than forecast. “You just never know.”

Gray said secondary students were released at noon or just before while elementary students went home at 1:30, two hours earlier than normal.

The staggered release accommodates the double bus route system used in ISD 831 and also meant older siblings would be home before their younger brothers and sisters arrived home. Parents would also have more time to be notified and to get home, Gray said.

He said all buses completed routes without incident.

Police busy

Quiring said his officers responded to 15 minor traffic crashes that had no serious injuries.

Over the duration of the weather event, he said officers had to tow two vehicles. Two driving while intoxicated tickets were written. Quiring said the fact that many people stayed at home was a plus.

Police did handle one potentially serious incident.

At 2:06 p.m. on Thursday during heavy snowfall, a city officer found a 14-year-old Wyoming girl wearing no jacket and only one shoe walking on Forest Road, directly west of Northland Mall.

The girl, who attends Southwest Junior High School, told police she had been dropped by friends in a car and she was trying to find them.

She was taken to the Forest Lake Police Station to get warm and dry. Police were able to reach her father who came to get the girl.

“It was snowing pretty hard at the time,” Quiring said. “She was just being a teenager.”

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