Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The dry and warm late fall weather we enjoyed, that is.

Winter arrived on the first day of December, dumping three inches of snow in Rugby and forcing residents to dig out shovels and warmer clothes.

Off and on light snow later in the week coupled with colder temperatures leaves little doubt that the white blanket of snow is here to stay for awhile.

Highways were slick as snow would stick, melt and then freeze when temperatures dropped.

There were no reports of motors vehicle accidents on area highways. In Rugby, the police department had a few calls for some vehicles veering off roads or fender benders, but nothing serious. Law enforcement officials advise motorists to drive with added caution when roads are icy.

November will go down as one of the warmest on record in Rugby. Daytime highs for much of the month were 15 to 20 degrees above the average.

Fourteen times the high temperature reached 50 degrees or warmer with the warmest recording of 70 degrees on Nov. 7, according to records kept by KZZJ 1450 AM, the official weather reporting station for the city. There was very little precipitation to speak of, and that was important as farmers had a lot of soybeans, sunflowers and corn to harvest.