Northlanders prepare for potential weekend snow storm

With the potential to see a lot of snow come Saturday and Sunday the 4th and 5th many people across the Northland are getting prepared for what’s to come. Both for safety and fun.

"As soon as we hear potential large snow event our ears perk up, you know we start paying attention”, says city of Duluth Public Information Officer Kate Van Daele.

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The city of Duluth continues to monitor the snow storm as this weekend could be the first time they implement their new snow emergency rules.

Van Daele says, "Just like with any storm we are making sure that our equipment is ready to go and just being as prepared as we can for a different snow event rather it’s a snow emergency or not."

She explains that for the city there’s no easy identifiers to activate the snow emergency. "Unfortunately there is no trigger point that we can say at 4’" at 6" at 8" because it really just depends on what the conditions are”, Kate says.

And with snow on the way, driving is definitely going to be more difficult so now snow tires are now in demand. Mike Lawery from Pro Tires says, "It happens every time, so the first dusting of snow, little bit of ice on the road, people just come in flocking from all over the place."

Checking your tires is one of the best ways to see if your vehicle is ready for the snow. Lawery says, "Make sure you look at your tread depths. Look at your tires, make sure you’ve got something good on there. The winter is not very forgiving."

And while a lot of safety prep is happening, some Northlanders are actually pretty excited for the snow. Over at UMD the Recreational Outdoor Program staff has already begun checking out recreational equipment to the community.

Worker Wyatt Steffensen says, "For us to get people out and on to some skies here shortly it’s going to be exciting for us."

Those folks making preparations to stay safe but also to have fun outdoors. He says, "I’m very excited. From the time I got to know that I knew I could do more outdoor activities the opportunities were just endless for me. You can go outside you can ski, you can go camp in the winter. The opportunities are just endless once you get a little taste of it."

And judging by recent forecasts it looks like we might just get our first big taste of winter.