On October 1, what began as a few snowflakes eventually covered many roads in Minnesota with a thick blanket of snow. This year’s abnormally early snowfall of five to six inches was a change of pace for Mounds View High School student drivers, which put their driving skills to the test as driving conditions worsened. The early snow has also caused changes in outdoor activities and sports for students as well. 

As the school year starts to pick up the pace, projects and homework can lead to less time spent practicing driving. “Because I’ve been taking a break recently [for school] I haven’t been driving as much,” said Ashe Wang, 10. Having less experience with driving in normal conditions, it is even more important that students are cautious when driving in snow.

Some ideas for staying safe on the road are “Going slower, and being more cautious,” said Max TerMaat, 10. Some other tips from the National Safety Council (NSC) are to “Steer in the direction of a skid, so when your wheels regain traction, you don’t have to overcorrect to stay in your lane and increase following distance to 8 to 10 seconds.” Things to keep in mind while driving in winter conditions include cleaning your windows, side view mirrors or external camera properly, and as temperatures start to drop, warming your car up before you start it. 

Other effects of the early snow Mounds View High School students face are activity cancellations. The athletes that are most affected by the early snowfall are outdoor sports such as boys soccer, girls soccer and mountain biking. Some practices and competitions were pushed back until the weather improved. “The week we got all this snow was the last week [for mountain biking], but we couldn’t do anything and the final race got canceled,” said Jayden Peter, 10. Organizations and programs were also affected by the early snow. “I was going to go volunteering over the weekend, but that got canceled because of the snow,” said Jackie Pennington, 11. 

The early snowfall may have caught students in a predicament where they could not participate in their normal activities. However, this snow created a quarantine effect by keeping students inside their homes, which is overall safer and better for the current COVID-19 environment. 

The heavy snow had many effects on the Mounds View community. Whether it is sports being canceled or road conditions getting worse, Mounds View High School students will be able to adapt accordingly to the situation.