Winter Weather Causes Treacherous Travel Conditions

CANNON FALLS, Minn. (WCCO) – Even though it was a sunny and quiet Sunday in the heart of the Twin Cities, things got extremely dicey just outside the metro area.

Signs of severe weather were hard to miss in the Cannon Falls area of southern Minnesota. Farms and roads took on the same snowy appearance.

Driving became disorienting and deputies asked people in Waseca and Olmstead to stay home.

The staff at Dan's Bar in New Trier decided to go home also, for the sake of safety.

"The weather, it's just been a winter. But we have to look out for everybody's safety, our employees and the people who have to get here so we are shutting down on Sunday," said Danette Welch, of Dan's Bar and Grill in New Trier.

So instead of welcoming people, they had to turn them away,

"It's very unusual with the snowmobilers and the skiers, but we have to do what we have to do," Welch said.

Dan's Bar isn't the only thing that's closed. Deputies had to shut down Highway 50 so they can move a very special kind of vehicle through.

MnDOT sent out giant snow blowers to clean up and attack some of the snow drifts – dramatic images for some, pretty standard stuff for others.

"It's just winter in Minnesota," said Dave Larson, who lives nearby.

And some were even more than OK with it. Zac Tessier of Hastings spent Sunday snowmobiling.

"Oh, I love it," Tessier said. "I just got back from vacation. I was somewhere where it was really warm, now I'm back in the winter. I love it."

Many, though, are complaining on a day that's not only a hassle but also a hazard.