References to movies and music dominated the fourth annual Great Minnesota Pun-Together, better known as MnDOT’s Name a Snowplow Contest.

Three of the eight plows will bear references to female musicians: Taylor Drift, Dolly Plowton and Beyonsleigh.

Four names were inspired by films: Barbie’s Dream Plow, Fast and Flurrious, Clark W. Blizzwald and You’re Killin’ Me Squalls. (That last one’s from 1993’s “The Sandlot.”)

The other winner was Waipahinte, a Dakota word for snowplow.

Snow, which means ice crystals that fall from the sky, historically accumulates on Minnesota roadways during winter, creating hazardous conditions for drivers.

In past years, when snowfall still was a thing that happened, the Minnesota Department of Transportation would send out driver-operated snow plows to clear major highways.

MnDOT since 2020-21 has been inviting the public to suggest and vote on names for several of those machines.

This year, the submission inspired by ubiquitous pop star Taylor Swift was “The 1,” as in No. 1, garnering nearly twice as many votes as the next top pick.

The newly christened plows will remain parked for the foreseeable future as the coming week’s forecast calls for daily high temperatures in the 40s or higher.

MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said when there’s no snow to push around, drivers spend their days filling potholes, repairing guardrails, scrubbing graffiti and picking up litter.

The last significant snow in the Twin Cities, not quite 2 inches, fell on Halloween. Since then, no single day has had more than .6 inches, according to National Weather Service records.

In a typical year, the Twin Cities sees 28.6 inches of snow fall from November through January. This winter? Just 4.6 inches.

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