Businesses Pivot As Spring Snowstorm Hits Twin Cities

Winter is officially over, but Friday morning, it certainly didn’t look that way in the Twin Cities.

“Spring is a reluctant visitor to Minnesota,” said New Hope Weather Watcher Steve Reckers.

As most Minnesotans already know, there’s always a threat of winter weather in the early days of spring.

“People probably think it’s a little out of the ordinary because it’s been so warm,” Reckers said. “So many 50° days and some 60s, even a 70 in there. So you get used to that. You think, gee this is the way it’s gonna be. This is gonna be a warm spring, and all of a sudden this happens.”

Reckers measured 4.4 inches of snow during the Thursday evening/Friday morning snowfall, giving us a grand total of 17.1 inches for the whole winter.

However, there’s a possibility we could get another 10 to 12 inches over the weekend. Welcome news, Reckers says, considering that we’re in a moderate drought.

“So anything we get, whether it’s rain or snow, it’s certainly welcome to replenish the wetlands and so forth, and streams and lakes,” Reckers said.

Weather Watcher Steve Reckers measured 4.4 inches of snow at his home in New Hope Friday morning.

Restocking winter merchandise

Meanwhile, over at the Welna Ace Hardware store in Robbinsdale, the shelves are, mostly, stocked with spring merchandise.

“Grass seed and hoses and sprinklers and all the fun things you think about with spring and summer,” said Bryan Dawson, store manager. “And then you’ve got ice melt hanging out alongside, and it just feels like this weird, in-between moment.”

Dawson says the ice melt and other winter items are relatively new additions to the sales floor.

“We had packed everything away. All the shovels had gone to the basement, and suddenly when the forecast came out, we had to quick pivot and make things available once again,” he said.

It’s a sign that spring hasn’t quite, sprung. As Prince once said, “sometimes it snows in April.”

“We are hoping that Prince is wrong,” Dawson said.

Ice melt returned to the sales floor at the Welna Ace Hardware store in Robbinsdale.

Related: New Hope Resident Honored for 55 Years of Volunteer Weather Service

New Hope | Robbinsdale