It's COLD, The Roads are FROZE, It Must Be Minnesota

We are enjoying a "treat" in the form of a deep freeze this week in Minnesota. Temps dipped to below zero on Monday night following a 4" snow fall. Yesterday morning my car read -18. Yep that's not a typo and here's the photo to prove it.


The cold temps mixed with the snow made for a treacherous and lengthy commute yesterday morning and again this morning. When the temps are this cold the chemicals placed on our roads to melt ice and snow simply don't work. The slippery conditions force traffic to grind to a crawl (I drove 5 mph my ENTIRE commute yesterday morning). The slow moving cars allow the exhaust to turn into what we hearty Minnesotans affectionately call "black ice." And black ice there was. Literally, 494 (the Interstate I travel on to and from work) glistened in the morning sun. A thin, albeit very dangerous, layer of ice coated the roads. Yikes. My drive normally takes me anywhere from 15-20 minutes door to door. Yesterday it was an hour. Today is was just under an hour. It is ridiculous - you arrive at work exhausted and you haven't even sat down at your desk.

Luckily most people put on their slow and cautious driving hat when conditions get like this. But clearly there are those that will never learn. Reports yesterday morning cited over 200 accidents and roll overs and this number did not include the numerous cars that spun out or went in the ditch solo.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel - forecasts are calling for a warm up with temps in the 30's next Tuesday. No doubt you will see people without jackets and maybe even a few silly ones in shorts (no joke) as we enjoy a well-earned heat wave! :-)