Questions from down south (Minneapolis, Buffalo: house, neighborhoods, buy)

[naclh2o]

I currently live in Arizona, but am seriously considering a move to Minneapolis in a few years. I have never lived around snow before, as I grew up in Central California and lived in Arizona for the past 10 years. Ive gotten used to extreme heat here in Arizona (it was close to 120 yesterday) so I think it would be an adjustment to cold weather but I could handle it.

How often do you shovel snow in the winter? Weekly? A few times a week? Do you have to wake up early to shovel the driveway before work?

Also, how is driving during the winter? Are there a lot of collisions and spinouts in the winter? Have you ever spunout or been in a collision due to ice or snow?

[MichelleLC]

I am just moving to Minneapolis myself, but I spent 20 some years living in Buffalo NY so have a little experience with snow. I'll let the Minneapolis people talk about the frequency. From what I've been told, the cold is worse than the volume of snow. Yet, snow will be present anytime likely from November till March. Will you need to get up early to shovel the driveway. Most likely yes. From where I have lived in the past, the properties I've seen in Minneapolis are larger than I am used to and to shovel the driveway (at least at the house we have purchased) looks like a major workout. I would think either a quality snowblower or snow removal service would be a necessity ... especially if you need to get out of the driveway early. Having never lived with snow, be sure to look into safety measures before setting out to shovel as well. We used to have a saying "thats heart attack snow" and I personally have known a number of middle aged men who have had heart attacks particularly shoveling wet, heavy snow.

Driving .... driving in snow is a skill set. It is learned through experience. I can't imagine that anyone who lives in a snowy area hasn't spun out at least once or at least had some good slides. Thats where experience, skill and caution come in to try not to turn that into a collision. Keep your speed conservative. Practice in a snowy, empty parking lot turning out of some skids. Even with driving in snow/ice for several decades now, I'm a bit apprehensive to see what Minnesota will bring ....

[Glenfield]

You shovel after it snows. Sometimes you might go weeks between snowfalls and sometimes you shovel several days in a row. And if you have a lot of snow to move, like from a driveway, you get a snowblower.

How early you get up depends on how long it takes. Her we see another advantage of the snowblower.

Driving on ice and snow is a special skill set and generally means going a lot slower. Unfortunately, many drivers here haven't figured that out, so yes, there are more accidents in the winter.

[Ursicinus]

The municipalities are generally really good about clearing the roads (and even bicycle paths!) nice and early, but yeah it'll be up to you to clear your driveway.

If you can handle 120 above zero, you can handle 20 below. As long as you have a good coat, hat, scarf, and gloves, you will be fine, and chances are you won't really be outside long enough for it to be a real problem unless you actually choose to be outside (which most of us do, but that's a separate issue). I would say though, don't cut corners here; I knew a guy who moved here from the South in like January who thought he could just buy a hat and gloves once he got here, only to realize that 1) he didn't know where anything was yet, so couldn't find a hat and gloves, and 2) he was gonna be really cold until he got them

As for driving, like others have said, it's a skill. Most of us from the north have years of practice and some are still terrible at it. I'd recommend finding an empty parking lot after a decent snow and just try sliding around in your car so you know how it feels. See how your car reacts when you slam on your breaks, and how you have to compensate to avoid doing that in the first place... etc.

[Ghengis]

judging by the mayhem seen on the highways in Minnesota, I believe there is close to 100% turnover each year as the new drivers all have to learn how not to crash into each other during the annual first snowfall.

[StPaulGal]

In my opinion, a good snow removal service is worth its weight in gold. Unless finances are particularly tight, I would highly recommend hiring someone, at least for your first winter while you get acclimated. You may decide you are all for doing it yourself, or you may learn that this is one luxury you would never be without. But you don't have to immediately take it on yourself.

As far as how often you will need to clear snow, that could be twice a day during a big storm or just a few times in a year, depending on the weather. It's not like mowing where you can set a schedule and say "I shovel on Wednesdays." You need to remove the snow when it happens. (Saint Paul mandates it be removed within 24 hours of the conclusion of the snowfall; I don't know the specific rules for other cities but I assume they are similar.)

Finally, with regard to winter driving, it can be a challenge when it is actively snowing. Slow down, pay attention, avoid any sudden movements if possible. Plenty of people swear by having a set of snow tires, but I personally haven't bothered with that. The good news is that roads are cleared pretty quickly, so you won't have to put up with the now for long. (Neighborhoods can be another story, but you aren't going to be driving fast there anyway.)

[mkdude_08]

Originally Posted by naclh2o

I currently live in Arizona, but am seriously considering a move to Minneapolis in a few years. I have never lived around snow before, as I grew up in Central California and lived in Arizona for the past 10 years. Ive gotten used to extreme heat here in Arizona (it was close to 120 yesterday) so I think it would be an adjustment to cold weather but I could handle it.

How often do you shovel snow in the winter? Weekly? A few times a week? Do you have to wake up early to shovel the driveway before work?

Also, how is driving during the winter? Are there a lot of collisions and spinouts in the winter? Have you ever spunout or been in a collision due to ice or snow?

Snow shoveling? Hire it out. Driving? You get used to it. Basically just slow down and you'll be fine.