Oct 12, 2009 5:21 pm US/Central
Unexpected Snow Leaves Some Unprepared
(WCCO)
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Leaves covered in snow is an odd sighting for early October. (File)
Jo Anne Taylor
The fresh coating of snow painted a pretty picture on the trees and created a place to play at schools.
But this fun in the snow came after a frenzy at home. The early snowfall surprised some parents at Golden Years Montessori, leaving them not quite as prepared for the white fluff.
"There's a dad that had to go out shopping and bring things in, nannies had to drop stuff off," said Trish Lundberg, who works at the school. "Many of them forgot how to put their snowpants on, and didn't fit in their snowpants."
Still, by recess, the kids had it all figured out -- unlike some homeowners. After all, this snow fell before some folks even had a chance to rake their leaves.
"I started it yesterday, now I have a big mound of snow and un-put-away leaves, so I don't know what we're gonna do," said Rick Dow, of Edina.
Since Minnesotans aren't used to having green leaves with white snow on top, some homeowners may be wondering what happens to those bright fall colors we're so used to seeing.
"Really, nothing and in fact, the cool temperature can tend to prolong the whole story of the fall color, so it can be just fine," said Tom Faust, director of landscape services at Bachman's.
Most trees won't be hurt by the snow, either -- with one exception.
Faust suggests shaking heavy snow off evergreens to avoid damaging them.
Also, a snow-covered lawn doesn't get you out of fall mowing. When the snow melts, lawns need to be mowed. And grass for winter should be kept fairly short, he said. The grass is still actively growing, so it's actually a good time to fertilize and then mow until it's just not possible, Faust said.
One other chore that's unavoidable; Faust said, is raking leaves. Once the weather warms the leaves will fall and you'll still have to rake them.
Beyond unpreparedness, the heavy, wet snow left some folks without power this morning as well.
Xcel Energy said, in all, they had about 8,000 customers in the dark. Most of the problems came from tree branches that were weighed down by the snow.
Most lines are now back up and running.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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