MINOT — Bad weather doesn’t sneak up on Alex Choi.
Choi, the operations foreman at the Minot International Airport, said his crew has been preparing for this week’s potential snow storm since last week.
“We usually look at the weather at least a week ahead, so we’re always prepared,” Choi said. “We have our brooms, plows, and snow blowers ready to go if and when the snow happens.”
Forecasts have varied over the past few days, but most information has the snow storm starting Tuesday morning and lasting through most of Thursday. Snow totals range from 8 inches to more than 20 inches, with winds up to 50 miles per hour in some locations.
Choi’s crews will be ready, whenever the snow happens.
“If it starts to cover up the center line of the taxiway, that affects the pilots’ ability to use the center line as a guide,” Choi said. “Once that happens, we go out and clear the snow. The Federal Aviation Administration’s rule is 1 inch of dry snow, but we don’t wait that long. It would be too late. If we start to see a thin layer of snow or the center line of the taxiway is covered up, we start snow removal operations.”
