Digging out
First snow of season drops 15 inches on Fort Dodge area
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Steve Paukert, of Duncombe, snowblows his driveway on Sunday in Duncombe.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Nathan Cleveland, of Duncombe, shovels out his driveway on Sunday in Duncombe.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Justin Wolfe, of Fort Dodge, uses his snowblower to clear his driveway on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Annie Wolfe, of Fort Dodge, shovels her sidewalk on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Ericka Slama, of Fort Dodge, cleans off her truck's hood on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Connor McGough, of Fort Dodge, cleans out driveways in Fort Dodge on Sunday after a weekend storm dumped several inches of snow on the area.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Matylda Rasch, 7, of Fort Dodge, leaps into a pile of snow on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Kendryk Rasch, 8, of Fort Dodge, isn't bothered by the snow as he tosses snowballs on Sunday in Fort Dodge after a weekend storm dumped several inches on the area.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Steve Paukert, of Duncombe, snowblows his driveway on Sunday in Duncombe.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Nathan Cleveland, of Duncombe, shovels out his driveway on Sunday in Duncombe.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Justin Wolfe, of Fort Dodge, uses his snowblower to clear his driveway on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Annie Wolfe, of Fort Dodge, shovels her sidewalk on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Ericka Slama, of Fort Dodge, cleans off her truck's hood on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Connor McGough, of Fort Dodge, cleans out driveways in Fort Dodge on Sunday after a weekend storm dumped several inches of snow on the area.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Matylda Rasch, 7, of Fort Dodge, leaps into a pile of snow on Sunday in Fort Dodge.
-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla <BR> Kendryk Rasch, 8, of Fort Dodge, isn't bothered by the snow as he tosses snowballs on Sunday in Fort Dodge after a weekend storm dumped several inches on the area.
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City and county road crews throughout Iowa have been busy digging out from under Iowa's first major snowstorm of the winter season.
According to the National Weather Service, the Fort Dodge area received upwards of 15 inches of snow this weekend. To the east, Webster City and Straford received more than 11 inches of snow, and forecasters say another small storm will make its way through again this afternoon bringing added traces of precipitation.
Both the Webster County Road Department and City of Fort Dodge Public Works crews were doing their best all weekend working around the clock to keep emergency snow routes open for first response vehicles.
The Webster County Road Department was clearing roads throughout the county Sunday from 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. According to Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll, his 38-person staff have been working to keep paved roads open and hope to get at least one pass on all gravel roads before Sunday evening.
"This was our first big snow of the year and it was good not to have a lot of wind with it," said Johll. "Usually when we get this much snow we'll have wind too."
City public works crews are also continuing to clear roadways. Weather pending, downtown cleanup is anticipated to span two nights, starting tonight and potentially into Tuesday night.
Throughout the weekend storm, the Fort Dodge Police Department was busy helping motorists. According to Capt. Donald McLaren, officers responded to 12 accidents, 32 motorist assists, 13 emergency snow route tows, and two weather-related welfare checks between Friday evening and Sunday.
With more than 15 inches of snow falling in town, the Fort Dodge Fire Department is asking residents to help clear snow from around fire hydrants. The department encouraged residents to send in a photo of themselves and their family clearing out the space surrounding hydrants for the chance to win a special ride to school on a fire truck.
"Having access to the space around a fire hydrant can save us minutes of precious time when fighting a fire," said Fort Dodge Fire Chief Matt Price. "Our fire engines only carry a few minutes of water on them, and we use a large hose to hook the hydrant that needs lots of space. We hope to give a ride to school to a family that thinks keeping their hydrant clear is as important as we do."
The Thanksgiving snowstorm was the first snow of the season. Forecasters are predicting a smaller storm to come through Iowa today, though the area may only see traces of snowfall.