Winter's Back...

with a Bite!
No school. (Shovel the drive instead, kid.)

Nowcast:
Winter Storm Warning in effect until 7 PM CDT this evening...

Rest of Today:
Snow. New snow accumulation of 2 to 3 inches. Storm total snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches. Highs 25 to 30. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph.

Tonight:
Colder. Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows around 5 above. North winds 5 to 15 mph.

So much for the fluffy stuff. This is March snowfall -- hanging heavy on branches, and heavy to lift, even if you're just shoveling the back of your car, to get it out of the lot for the plow.

Call me a sicko, but if you can walk around the neighborhood and don't have to drive... Well after the typical ugliness of the recent melt, it's a sight to behold! Sunglasses needed for the blinding white, even with an obscured midday sun.

Stll, we remember the workers. How some indeed risk their lives physically, for the public good. Kinda puts bellowing teachers' unions to shame, if you ask me. Calling for "protections" inside with the children, 3/4 of the year.

Flood preparations took a tragic turn Tuesday when a Minnesota Department of Transportation backhoe operator, clearing debris out of a culvert, lost control of his machine, plunged into the roiling Minnesota River between St. Peter and Mankato, and was presumed dead.

The worker was identified Tuesday night as Michael J. Struck, 39, a nine-year department employee and a member of the volunteer fire department in Cleveland, Minn., a Le Sueur County community of about 700 people -- and home to at least three generations of Struck family members.

"He was a nice fellow," Mayor Richard Walter said Tuesday night. "A good kid."
...
Divers weren't able to enter the water because the current was too strong. "With the high current and the rising waters it's going to be difficult for the search effort," said Nicollet County Sheriff Dave Lange.

Struck would be Minnesota's first flood-related death since June 11, 2008.

ADDED: Good news. Or as good as can be expected, under the circumstances:

ST. PETER, Minn. - The body of a Minnesota Department of Transportation worker was found Wednesday afternoon on the Minnesota River side of Highway 169. A 3 p.m. news conference has been scheduled at the firehouse in Cleveland, Minn.

Michael J. Struck was missing and presumed drowned Tuesday after the backhoe he was operating flipped over into Seven Mile Creek off Highway 169 between Mankato and St. Peter.
...
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the accident happened around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday as Struck was clearing brush and branches to help the creek flow. Seven Mile Creek flows into the Minnesota River, which was at 22.2 feet on Tuesday morning, just above the 22-foot flood stage.

Struck apparently escaped from the backhoe when it flipped, but somehow slipped into the creek and was swept away by the current.

A roughly three-hour recovery effort was called off Tuesday afternoon, with the current too strong for divers. Nicollet County water patrol boats continued the search above water.

“Mike, like all our employees, was dedicated and willing to risk his life to keep our roads safe and passable, even under the worst conditions,” said Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel. “Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, friends and co-workers.”