Last weekend’s freezing rain caused hundreds of car pile-ups in the Twin Cities area and added hundreds of salt trucks to the roads. Now, weather forecasters are predicting heavy amounts of snow again for Wednesday, potentially making Thanksgiving travel difficult.
The heaviest amounts of snow Wednesday will be north of the Twin Cities, hitting areas such as Alexandria and Brainard the hardest, according to KSTP.
Sophomore Rashi Nostra said she is concerned about driving home after hearing about the upcoming storm.
“I wish I could leave early to avoid the bad weather,” Nostra said. “Unfortunately, I have an exam Wednesday.”
Senior Kate Hallock said she is traveling to Spooner, Wisc., and plans to leave early enough to make it home for Thanksgiving.
“My sister, brother-in-law, and I are leaving at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving and plan to be home by 9:30 am at the latest,” Hallock said. “We’re leaving extra early so that we can drive more cautiously and get home safe and sound.”
Students who are flying may also be affected by the storms. Sophomore Lauren Porter said she is worried that her family’s plans to drive and fly from Kentucky to Minnesota will not run smoothly.
“My mom and sister are driving up for Thanksgiving at my grandpa’s house,” Porter said. “Because of the storm, they drove halfway Tuesday and are then getting up early Wednesday to try and miss as much of it as they can. I’m a little worried about my dad’s flight getting canceled or delayed since he is only coming up for one day and one night.”
Officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport warn anyone traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday to arrive early. Sophomore Alexis Rodarmel is taking this advice, leaving a day early to beat the rush.
“I am traveling from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to Colorado Springs on Tuesday instead of Wednesday,” Rodarmel said. “I’m skipping class because I only have accounting on Wednesday morning and I cannot be bothered with it.”
If the weather does affect students’ travel arrangements so they must stay on campus, some said they have come up with back-up plans. Sophomore Nicholas Froehle said he would have to get creative with what he would eat.
“If I get stuck at St. Thomas, I will be very bored,” Froehle said. “I will end up celebrating Thanksgiving with cereal, mac and cheese and filtered water from my Brita pitcher.”
Hallock said she has a few options if the weather forces her to stay at St. Thomas for the holiday.
“My roommate’s family invited anyone home with her and the assistant director of the McNair Program also invited the scholars for Thanksgiving if we don’t have plans,” Hallock said. “Heaven forbid if I get stuck at St. Thomas, I’ll just sleep and do homework. But let’s pray that doesn’t happen because I have no food.”
Cynthia Johnson can be reached at john3175@stthomas.edu.