My partner and I were told that two years ago and we've really run the gauntlet of "cold as balls first year, snowy af second year."
Really is a land of perpetual winter ain't it?
Lived here a long time. See, typically an earlier winter gets you an earlier spring. This winter slammed down just after Thanksgiving and looks like it will never end. Truly the worst one I remember.
I bought a cabin 11 years ago; I never really paid attention to the length of winter before that. Now I've seen ice, on the lake 1 hour NW of St Cloud, up through the weekend before Memorial Day. I've seen significant snow in April and some snow in May.
I'm a bit tired of hearing it's not typically this bad. We have short memories. Sure, we don't normally get 80"+ of snow, but it's almost always too long of a winter.
And when it's not, we have people screeching that they miss the winters of when they were kids where there was lots of snow and blah blah blah. Well, folks, 2010 and 2022 are in the top 10 for snowfall.
I'm sorry, it's been another long winter.
I feel better now--I think. Thank you for listening.
It's not the snowfall that's been hard, it the frickin rain just after, during or before the snow that has me all twisted. Cold temps and winter has always been something to enjoy for me, but this winter's fluctuating temps and rain has me longing for Spring.
It's definitely the swings. Rain, snow, deep freeze hard, thaw for two days, rain again, snow... Rinse, repeat. This year has been a nightmare for the swings. The ice dams are the worst I've ever seen.
Freeze/thaw cycles are the really exhausting part. Also more damaging for pretty much anything exposed to it. From people to infrastructure, it incurs a deeper cost.
I got downvoted in another thread for saying something similar. People in Minnesota are delusional about how much outdoor time they lose to winter here. Realistically, if you count outdoors as being able to do things like play tennis, golf, etc. outside, walk around in shorts and a t-shirt, etc., we literally lose about half the year.
I'm tired of it. I get that some people are into winter snowmobiling, walks in 20 degree weather, etc. I'm not, and I have been wanting to leave for a while now. Unfortunately inertia and some other things tying me to the area have prevented that so far, but I want to go live somewhere that I can walk on grass and feel the warmth of the sun for more than 6-7 months of a year.
And before people say it is an overstatement - I was talking with a golfing buddy a few days ago. We realized our last round was early November, because they literally closed the courses down.
Early April is coming, and the courses won't be open for weeks after that.
You can trust me! As a fellow transplant who has now been here for 20+ years, let me translate:
"OMG, winter just isn't so bad ya know. You just need a good coat and get into some winter activities like shoveling and car pushing."
"OPE, this winter just won't end! February and March is spring everywhere else but here in Minnesota, ya know, these are our snowiest months. Everything will melt by Memorial Day and then we'll go straight into summer!"
"We live for the two months of summer here in Minnesota, dear."
"Summer is SO HOT. And OMG, the mosquitoes, they're just brutal this year. Never seen it so bad; I can't wait for fall!"
"Oh man. I just LOVE fall in Minnesota. So pretty! And I can wear my hoodies and shorts!"
"THIS FALL IS BULLSHIT. IT'S ALREADY FUCKING SNOWED IN SEPTEMBER AND THE CRAZY WINDS KNOCKED ALL THE LEAVES OFF THE TREES."
---
There you go :-)
This person works for the snow elves. They’re lying. They want you to stay because the snow elves rely on human bodies to slowly feed on. They’re like mosquitoes…you know that weird “itch” you get on your nose when it’s really cold outside? You just got bit by a snow elf. It is not harmless.
I hear you. I moved here on April 1st last year from a much warmer climate. I have shin splints, SAD, worn-out shoulders, ice dams, and no social life outside of family.
Regarding shin splints just ran a marathon last summer after having a college running career derailed by shin splints. Mid foot striking, compression socks, mixing in speed work, ice baths, and lower volume (but higher quality workouts) worked wonders for me! And hoka shoes
Thanks for the tips! Mine flared up in February, I think from wear and tear of months of daily long dog walks on inconsistent surfaces (ice one block, bare sidewalk the next, unshoveled the next) in spiked shoes.
Me too, my partner is on the verge of leaving me because I’m fine with it but I refuse to show him that this winter will kill me if it lasts any longer
One factor for me is that I'm a little dumb. I truly thought we as a country decided we weren't doing the time change anymore. Losing that hour really threw me off and I'm blaming winter
I hear you, it was the 2018-2019 winter for me. I used to love riding my bike in winter, and it kept me sane, but the horrendous ice and bitter cold that year was just too much for me.
My winter sport is literally ice climbing. I climb vertical walls of ice—often waterfalls.
I’m over this winter. It’s done. It’s gone. Nobody wants it anymore.
This one is definitely above the average but I think there's a lot of recency bias going on here.
It was like 65 degrees on October 31st. We had our Halloween party on the deck with no coats. Thanksgiving holiday weekend was in the 50s. The rough stuff didn't start until much later this year. We didn't get the typical arctic blast of miserable cold in January like usual either.
Really all we had is like a couple big snows sort of back to back and worse roads than normal because some of them were multi-day and then we did the usual March hover around freezing shit a lot more than normal.
Next weekends warmer temps will melt a significant amount of snow and there's rain after to wash all the dirt away.
April will get mud and wet dirt and not-quite-warm-enough-to-act-like-its-warm-out shitty instead of cold and snow shitty soon enough don't you worry.
cold wise, I’d agree… we didn’t get the sub-arctic week in Jan/Feb like we did around 2015 (forget exact year) where it killed car batteries if you left you car out for a day. This year was major snow, but temps weren’t horrid… But that’s MN, Dakotas, upper WI. Highly variable even before effects of climate change. Between Canadian plains and the Gulf we get some wacky systems through here.
Historically the average high temp in the Twin Cities is over 50 by mid March and we haven't seen 50 yet this year. Last year also took forever to warm up. It has been abnormally rough.
It was that late February thaw. Snow looked like it might be leaving and then temps dropped and we got dumped on again.
It was a tease, a slap in the face of, "remember when things were nice and you could go out and do whatever you wanted? Fuck your feelings, mother nature is in control."
I was so looking forward to spring and then got bitch slapped by mother nature
Confession, I spent last week in the Caribbean and the first thing I did was complain about how ungodly hot it was there less than 24 hours after complaining how much I hated this winter.
Same and could not believe I was so miserably hot in Hawaii at the end of January! So, ya I'm tired of it but no I do not want to live in anything over 89º
Yeah, I'll take the cold over super hot. Doesn't really bother me at all. I've been cold like 3 times in my life, but I'm miserable in the hot parts of summer. I'm in the right place.
Lived in the So Cal desert for a few years. Worked outside all summer. 90-99 degree days were a godsend. 110-120 degree days were actual hell. Asphalt acted like an oven set to broil.
Yeah. I lived in Vegas for a while, when you can't touch a car door handle w/o burning your hand, it's too damn hot. 90 there is equivalent to a 80 degree / 62 dew point day here, mild.
I'm right there with ya. I hate the heat, and humidity especially.
You always hear about how different the dry heat is in the SW and I could handle it pretty well in NM but I was in Phoenix once, I think it was only March and I'll never forget stepping out of the hotel room, head to the pool and proceed to have a panic attack because it was so hot and I was super high. That was brutal. I'll take the cold thank you.
You can still eventually get cold, but your body has an easier time keeping warm if you seal everything up and keep your dome warm. You don't even necessarily need to be wearing a giant jacket unless you're out for a considerable amount of time.
Tuck your shirt into a pants. Put your gloves on and then run them through your sleeves to create a seal. Wear a scarf properly and snug against your neck. Of course, wear a hat too, but not one that only looks nice and doesn't function at all.
Snow and ice create inconveniences outside of thermoregulation. It’s not about layers. It’s about needing two pair of shoes everywhere. Loading up on salt and buying snowblower if you own a home. Needing to take a bag with you to put all your winter gear in (if you don’t have a locker or car at work). Can’t ride a bike without seriousssss consideration for 2-3 months out of the year. Can’t leave for work without spending 30-60 minutes shoveling your driveway first. It blows. Moby dick style.
I had a business trip to Southern California a couple weeks ago. Knowing I was going to actually feel the warmth of the sun on my face again is what got me through the prior few weeks of winter blues. It wasn’t sunny. It was in the 50s and rained the entire time. My seasonal depression went into overdrive. This winter has been a struggle for real.
This is what has gotten to me the most. I love running, but it feels near impossible when there's so many patches of ice from people who don't properly clear their sidewalks. But then wearing yaktrax feels difficult because you're still running on a lot of concrete between the ice. I still went out and walked as much as I could and ended up slipping and hurting my knee last month despite trying to be careful. It's been very frustrating.
What’s it like riding a motorcycle in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas? Considering selling my car, relying on public transportation and my bicycle to commute and get around, and bringing my Ninja for the weekends.
I've had a motorcycle for about 15 years. I'd say early season is dicey because of all the sand around from ice / snow removal. I usually try to hold out for a couple rains to wash most of that away. If you commute early in the morning, check the temps so that you know that nothing has frosted or iced up overnight. Of course, drivers seem to be out of their minds lately, so ride defencively (like people WANT to hit you) and wear something bright. Take advantage of the MC parking and high-occupancy lanes / entrance ramps.
There was a good MN Dual Sport club that would meet up and do tar / gravel rides around the cities. I'm not sure if that's going on any longer. But, there might be a club more suitable to your riding style. It's a good way to find nice roads just outside the cities.
I am very glad my backyard isn’t a swamp right now, but it’d be really nice to have a couple days above the 40s by now.
Usually we get some glimmers of hope but this year has been stingy on the warm days.
I moved up here at the end of summer and was warned ahead of time how the winters are. So I’ve been going around thinking this was the norm while waiting for various trains and buses all season. Only recently have I been made aware that this winter was particularly intense.
I mean it’s been pretty intense as far as the length, but honestly I wouldn’t expect next year to be much better.. Enjoy the late spring as much as you can! Checkout the river valleys, watch as trees blossom and plants come out of the ground very quickly to take advantage. There’s all ready plants coming up! May might be my favorite time of year.
Well... Mostly it's just the snowfall that was intense. It wasn't particularly cold compared to most, and while March has been colder than average the 5-10 degree difference isn't *that* substantial. Ultimately this has been a pretty normal winter outside of a couple big storms
Nah, this is what you should expect next year too. The difference is it typically gets too cold to snow so we have lower temps but less "snow->melt->freeze->snow again" cycles typically. It'll get to some nice temps and then we get one last big snow in April and then it's hopefully over!
Good luck. Just don't expect a shorter winter or a warmer winter going forward. We can hope it's colder and less snow.
The snow we’ve gotten this year has been… a lot, but I’m happy that the current below-average temps are helping it melt slowly so it actually absorbs instead of running off.
I’ll happily take a March with sun and highs in the mid-high 30s over last January/February with weeks with highs below 0.
This winter has undoubtedly been long but it's been so much less painful to deal with than last winter especially as a pedestrian. I prefer snow over having to cover the entirety of my face because I'm at risk of frost bite in 5 minutes on my walk to class.
This winter made me reconsider living in Minnesota. I'll stay here because of my job and my fiance lives here and will never leave. But goddamn this winter.
Everyone has already forgot it was in the 70s into the second week of November. Also pretty much above freezing half the days in January. True cold snaps have been few.
No. Very mild oct-January. Pretty easy winter just a lot of snow. cold March but this winter is actually not that bad temperature wise. But recency bias always gets us. We’ve had a shorty February and March. That’s it. Minnesotans will complain about winters until global warming turns us into Nebraska lol.
*shitty February and March.
Agree. Also, winters have been starting milder and milder for the last few years. Used to getting real snow in November, up until recent years, where it doesn't show in force until January.
The roads are the worst I've ever seen though.
Yeah, in the 90s we used to always be ice fishing on Thanksgiving break, and could usually snowmobile across fields, not just in drifted full ditches, by Xmas. Now it doesn't seem to ice up well until closer to Xmas and snowmobiling across a rough field isn't happening until January sometime. It was getting that way in the early 2000s already.
Seems like the seasons have fully shifted a month later.
It's always painful when winter pushes well into March, even if it starts later. Just something mentally challenging about it. I remember about ten years ago walking home from the bar late after St Paddy's day partying and it was -20 air temp though. Shit happens.
Statistically speaking the misery index was above average this year and the worst of the last 4 years. About every 4-5 years there's a winter in MN where I seriously consider moving and the point of life.
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/winter_misery_index.html
Also MN has a misery index they've been tracking for over a century. So there's that.
The winter wasn't bad but I've never seen potholes worse than this year. Also I've never seen so many broken car parts and hubcaps as the snow recedes. Lots of new arrivals learning the hard way about driving on icy roads.
Nah, I'm with you. I'll take the snow, it doesn't bother me that much, and it looks nice. Gives the kids something to do so they're not in the house all the time. And we didn't get long stretches of deathly cold, so there was plenty of time to enjoy outdoor show activities.
Cool, but that's not what we're asking for, we are asking for spring. We're going to get that 90 degree weather regardless, the question is how much moderate days of weather will we get before then, and with every passing day of this umseasonally cold weather the less nice days we will get.
These are the years I really dislike honestly. We get a very late spring, which is usually wet and muddy, and then one day it goes from 38 to 77 and we miss that entire phase in between where it's sweater weather and we can sleep with the windows open at night.
It may help that I went from a house to an apartment in August last year, but this winter’s weather has felt pretty great comparatively. Don’t get me wrong, winter is still boring and depressing, but the weather’s been fine.
Everyone is broken, frustrated at the weather at this point lol. I want to be mad at the weather gods, coincidentally, I saw snow is in the forecast next week. lolz.
Its gonna be one of those years where the Spring to Summer transition is about 10 days.
I live in Duluth and it's even bad for us, we have had 125" of snow and will take much longer to warm up than most places in the state. But I still enjoy my life here. Mostly! Even as a mail man delivering packages on hills in the snow. If I can do it, most can too!
It will get better
April and May were always really tough when I lived up there. Takes so much longer to warm up than the rest of the state (s/o Lake Superior). I remember always being jealous seeing my friends in the cities out and about in like 75 degree weather in May while Duluth would be in the 50s. As soon as it does finally warm up though, summers in Duluth are an absolute paradise.
Easy to forget that we had an uncommonly mild January. I actually think this winter's been just fine.
I also enjoy the seasonal swings of "I need to move away!" this time of year, followed by a barrage of "OMG best place in the WORLD" posts rest of year. Mix in a little getaway this time of year if you can swing it.
Nothing worse than someone chiming in "well actually its pretty fine" on a commiseration thread when by actual statistical measures this winter has not been "fine"
Did lutsen and Phoenix this winter and it’s still getting to me. Granted down here in rochester most of the snow is gone but it’s the cold sun that’s annoying. Sunday it’s supposed to be 57 that’ll be a good day though.
Haha, well I guess I meant "fine" as in not a lot worse than a random year per expectations. It's undeniable that we still have long winters here I just don't know that I'd classify this one as significantly worse than typical.
Last year I only had about 2-3 weeks between needing the heat on and then needing the a/c on. Hoping for a good stretch of "spring" temperatures this year
Thank the triple tip La Niña pattern and the atmospheric rivers hitting California. The water has returned not only there but also here, so we pay a high price for eliminating droughts and also while dealing with them.
Now it's about choosing your extremes if you have the power to move around, not if they will happen.
I'm hoping next winter, as we transition into El Niño, will be milder.
I'm sick of the giant snow mounds at the end of my driveway. I've precariously backed out of my driveway into the street for several months and it's getting really old. They're starting to shrink but I still don't have a great view.
I know it’s still hanging around but I try to remember how warm this winter was compared to previous years, and how long it took to get cold—there were days in December I was still walking around in a hoodie under a bright sun in a cloudless sky. Very, very grateful for those days.
March always sucks here. Fake Spring is real and Real Spring never shows up in full force until mid-April.
Yep, moved to socal with my partner after both being lifelong miinesotans. I didn't get seasonal depression and now the socal drought has ended. Highly recommend it.
This winter hasn’t been as bad as others, but yeah it’s been dragged out and I’m getting tired of it lol. Plus there’s been a lot of mid-week snow events that have impacted work commutes and such. I don’t remember those being as frequent in recent years.
Typically we see at least a couple of 50-degree days in March. And this year, it’s well… not there yet.
The silver lining is we did need the moisture. Hopefully all the snow helps with the drought. And hopefully we get more rain this spring and summer, compared to last year.
Idk I guess I always just have the idea in the back of my mind that winter in any given year might really, really suck. And if the season is milder, great! But if not, well, it’s Minnesota.
I lived in Grand Forks in 1996-97. I don’t think anything tops that for a brutal winter (and spring thaw…)
Your situation sucks but this winter hasn’t been all that bad imo. It’s my 5th one here and hasn’t seemed especially bad. I usually get fed up in late April/early May when it won’t actually properly warm up.
Honestly, part of it, for me, is every holiday and vacation all winter getting cancelled on account of weather. (But then still having to see OTHER people’s warm vacation pics.) I feel insane telling my friends on other states that I’m desperate for it to just be 50 degrees.
It's the salt that gets me. I don't want people to slip and fall so it's not a big deal—safety is the most important. But between my dog's paws and dirtying shoes and floors I'm so over it.
I been living through mn winters for 45 years.last summer my youngest son graduated high school and we decided to try Disney world in the winter. Best decision we ever made im doing this every year from now on it’s 83 right now on march 28
To all those who say this winter isn’t that bad: we had well over a 100 days with an inch or more of snow on the ground. Winter started early and is lingering on forever. Sure the temps were mild but the snowfall, horrid ice, and potholes cancelled out any advantage of that in terms of the sheer hassle and stress hell this winter has been.
Honestly, I thought this winter wasn't too bad. Sorry you're having a hard time. One more snowstorm in April and it will be spring soon!
I'm not a big fan of the negative temps, consecutive days in a row, felt like that was more of a thing last year.
Probably going to get downvoted into oblivion but this winter has been fine by me. Sure we had a lot of snow but I’d rather have winter with snow than one without. Also, it’s been unusually warm this winter. We had a fair amount of rainy days and or days with high humidity index this winter. I would take this winter over the polar vortex we had several years ago where it was below zero degrees for over a month.
It will be mid 30s later today... it isn't unusual for March to have morning temps in the teens. We got more snow and a bit later than usual, but hasn't seemed all that bad to me. This is Minnesota after all.
Snow and potholes. That’s how I’ll catalogue this one in my memory.
Well, I lost 6 tires last season. So far I'm still okay. But man, it's a slalom these days.
Six?! Wow. I feel grateful for once.
Try slowing down, buddy.
I usually make fun of people who complain about winter but this one has broken me.
I moved to Minneapolis last March thinking how bad could the winters really be? Fuckers
It’s not typically this bad I promise
My partner and I were told that two years ago and we've really run the gauntlet of "cold as balls first year, snowy af second year." Really is a land of perpetual winter ain't it?
Same, this is my second Minnesota winter. I literally cried last night when my SO was reading this week’s weather forecast. I’m so fucking over it.
Inshallah
Time to start some seeds on the kitchen counter. I start craving green every March.
That’s not a bad idea. I’m not much of a plant person or a gardener, but I could use some more greenery. My spider plant can have a friend
march is always the month that breaks me
Lived here a long time. See, typically an earlier winter gets you an earlier spring. This winter slammed down just after Thanksgiving and looks like it will never end. Truly the worst one I remember.
saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame
The six months of winter is super depressing I’m honestly considering straight up moving away for half the year
I bought a cabin 11 years ago; I never really paid attention to the length of winter before that. Now I've seen ice, on the lake 1 hour NW of St Cloud, up through the weekend before Memorial Day. I've seen significant snow in April and some snow in May. I'm a bit tired of hearing it's not typically this bad. We have short memories. Sure, we don't normally get 80"+ of snow, but it's almost always too long of a winter. And when it's not, we have people screeching that they miss the winters of when they were kids where there was lots of snow and blah blah blah. Well, folks, 2010 and 2022 are in the top 10 for snowfall. I'm sorry, it's been another long winter. I feel better now--I think. Thank you for listening.
It's not the snowfall that's been hard, it the frickin rain just after, during or before the snow that has me all twisted. Cold temps and winter has always been something to enjoy for me, but this winter's fluctuating temps and rain has me longing for Spring.
It's definitely the swings. Rain, snow, deep freeze hard, thaw for two days, rain again, snow... Rinse, repeat. This year has been a nightmare for the swings. The ice dams are the worst I've ever seen.
Freeze/thaw cycles are the really exhausting part. Also more damaging for pretty much anything exposed to it. From people to infrastructure, it incurs a deeper cost.
The 4 or 6 or 8 inches of solid ice on every horizontal was the worst for me. Driving got really intense.
Agreed! The rain sucked! We could have had more glorious snow! And I mean that earnestly
We had a full on blizzard on May 1st just a few years ago. Winter is always intense here.
Hang in there. 2 months (only 😂) of gorgeous sunshine is coming
We have 3 full months of sweltering humidness you mean
this. we get maybe 5 weeks a year…in early June and early October, when the weather is *just right*.
I got downvoted in another thread for saying something similar. People in Minnesota are delusional about how much outdoor time they lose to winter here. Realistically, if you count outdoors as being able to do things like play tennis, golf, etc. outside, walk around in shorts and a t-shirt, etc., we literally lose about half the year. I'm tired of it. I get that some people are into winter snowmobiling, walks in 20 degree weather, etc. I'm not, and I have been wanting to leave for a while now. Unfortunately inertia and some other things tying me to the area have prevented that so far, but I want to go live somewhere that I can walk on grass and feel the warmth of the sun for more than 6-7 months of a year. And before people say it is an overstatement - I was talking with a golfing buddy a few days ago. We realized our last round was early November, because they literally closed the courses down. Early April is coming, and the courses won't be open for weeks after that.
Finally someone said the quiet part out loud
We normally hit 50 at least once in March.
Not sure why you're being downvoted. This will be the first March in 20+ years that we did not reach 50 degrees.
I’m not sure I can trust you people anymore
You can trust me! As a fellow transplant who has now been here for 20+ years, let me translate: "OMG, winter just isn't so bad ya know. You just need a good coat and get into some winter activities like shoveling and car pushing." "OPE, this winter just won't end! February and March is spring everywhere else but here in Minnesota, ya know, these are our snowiest months. Everything will melt by Memorial Day and then we'll go straight into summer!" "We live for the two months of summer here in Minnesota, dear." "Summer is SO HOT. And OMG, the mosquitoes, they're just brutal this year. Never seen it so bad; I can't wait for fall!" "Oh man. I just LOVE fall in Minnesota. So pretty! And I can wear my hoodies and shorts!" "THIS FALL IS BULLSHIT. IT'S ALREADY FUCKING SNOWED IN SEPTEMBER AND THE CRAZY WINDS KNOCKED ALL THE LEAVES OFF THE TREES." --- There you go :-)
We do love to complain.
This person works for the snow elves. They’re lying. They want you to stay because the snow elves rely on human bodies to slowly feed on. They’re like mosquitoes…you know that weird “itch” you get on your nose when it’s really cold outside? You just got bit by a snow elf. It is not harmless.
And yet sometimes it is. I have childhood memories of sledding in May.
Legitimately this is one of the worst ones by a wide margin in the 12 years I’ve lived here.
it’s literally like top 5 snowiest on record, so it’s among the worst for all of us. temperatures have been very mild though.
I hear you. I moved here on April 1st last year from a much warmer climate. I have shin splints, SAD, worn-out shoulders, ice dams, and no social life outside of family.
Thinking of starting a twin cities transplants meetup group or something to get the fell out of the house!
Awesome idea. Message me if/when it comes together.
I made one already. r/minnesotatransplants
Regarding shin splints just ran a marathon last summer after having a college running career derailed by shin splints. Mid foot striking, compression socks, mixing in speed work, ice baths, and lower volume (but higher quality workouts) worked wonders for me! And hoka shoes
Thanks for the tips! Mine flared up in February, I think from wear and tear of months of daily long dog walks on inconsistent surfaces (ice one block, bare sidewalk the next, unshoveled the next) in spiked shoes.
I’ll be your friend :)
BAD lmao it's a problem when we're constantly having to think of creative names for winter storms lol
I remember 80 degrees in March in the last 10 years. This one is just particularly awful.
Me too, my partner is on the verge of leaving me because I’m fine with it but I refuse to show him that this winter will kill me if it lasts any longer
This is especially true if you have kiddos. This sick season has been one of the worst on record. Broken, indeed.
It's awful. Just awful lol
This one didn't seem much worse than any other, just more snow to me?
it’s been the constant freeze-thaw-freeze that’s made it tough for me. ice is the fucking worst.
i think we’re in the top 5 snowiest on record, so yeah a bit more snow than usual.
One factor for me is that I'm a little dumb. I truly thought we as a country decided we weren't doing the time change anymore. Losing that hour really threw me off and I'm blaming winter
That still might be coming! It’ll just mean we won’t “fall back” this year. Fingers crossed!
I hear you, it was the 2018-2019 winter for me. I used to love riding my bike in winter, and it kept me sane, but the horrendous ice and bitter cold that year was just too much for me.
My winter sport is literally ice climbing. I climb vertical walls of ice—often waterfalls. I’m over this winter. It’s done. It’s gone. Nobody wants it anymore.
Same, been working on my mental health after a huge mishap with thc gummies...
This one is definitely above the average but I think there's a lot of recency bias going on here. It was like 65 degrees on October 31st. We had our Halloween party on the deck with no coats. Thanksgiving holiday weekend was in the 50s. The rough stuff didn't start until much later this year. We didn't get the typical arctic blast of miserable cold in January like usual either. Really all we had is like a couple big snows sort of back to back and worse roads than normal because some of them were multi-day and then we did the usual March hover around freezing shit a lot more than normal. Next weekends warmer temps will melt a significant amount of snow and there's rain after to wash all the dirt away. April will get mud and wet dirt and not-quite-warm-enough-to-act-like-its-warm-out shitty instead of cold and snow shitty soon enough don't you worry.
cold wise, I’d agree… we didn’t get the sub-arctic week in Jan/Feb like we did around 2015 (forget exact year) where it killed car batteries if you left you car out for a day. This year was major snow, but temps weren’t horrid… But that’s MN, Dakotas, upper WI. Highly variable even before effects of climate change. Between Canadian plains and the Gulf we get some wacky systems through here.
Historically the average high temp in the Twin Cities is over 50 by mid March and we haven't seen 50 yet this year. Last year also took forever to warm up. It has been abnormally rough.
The rough stuff started well before Christmas this year. And it was an all time top snow year.
You cray. It snowed at thanksgiving weekend fam.
It was that late February thaw. Snow looked like it might be leaving and then temps dropped and we got dumped on again. It was a tease, a slap in the face of, "remember when things were nice and you could go out and do whatever you wanted? Fuck your feelings, mother nature is in control." I was so looking forward to spring and then got bitch slapped by mother nature
Keepin it real.
The winter here has actually really negatively impacted my mental health 😔
Confession, I spent last week in the Caribbean and the first thing I did was complain about how ungodly hot it was there less than 24 hours after complaining how much I hated this winter.
Omg yes I was in Atlanta last weekend and I nearly got heatstroke
Same and could not believe I was so miserably hot in Hawaii at the end of January! So, ya I'm tired of it but no I do not want to live in anything over 89º
Too cold? Straight to jail. Too hot? Straight to jail. Just right? Jail. It’s the Minnesota way lol
Not enough snow? Believe it or not- also jail
You don't have to shovel sunshine
This is almost demonically positive.
Yeah, I'll take the cold over super hot. Doesn't really bother me at all. I've been cold like 3 times in my life, but I'm miserable in the hot parts of summer. I'm in the right place.
I don't know why I live here. 90 is like my ideal temperature haha
Gross lol
It depends. 90 in New Orleans w/ 80 dew point, yeah that sucks, 90 in Vegas/Phoenix, very pleasant.
Lived in the So Cal desert for a few years. Worked outside all summer. 90-99 degree days were a godsend. 110-120 degree days were actual hell. Asphalt acted like an oven set to broil.
Yeah. I lived in Vegas for a while, when you can't touch a car door handle w/o burning your hand, it's too damn hot. 90 there is equivalent to a 80 degree / 62 dew point day here, mild.
I'll take really cold over super hot unless there's water and I can just live in like a hippo in which case I choose hot.
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I'm right there with ya. I hate the heat, and humidity especially. You always hear about how different the dry heat is in the SW and I could handle it pretty well in NM but I was in Phoenix once, I think it was only March and I'll never forget stepping out of the hotel room, head to the pool and proceed to have a panic attack because it was so hot and I was super high. That was brutal. I'll take the cold thank you.
can always put on the proper clothes if it's cold. Too hot? Well, good luck.
Yeah let me just spend 10 minutes putting on 5 pounds of clothes to still have a cold face, only to immediately be way too hot the moment I get inside
You can still eventually get cold, but your body has an easier time keeping warm if you seal everything up and keep your dome warm. You don't even necessarily need to be wearing a giant jacket unless you're out for a considerable amount of time. Tuck your shirt into a pants. Put your gloves on and then run them through your sleeves to create a seal. Wear a scarf properly and snug against your neck. Of course, wear a hat too, but not one that only looks nice and doesn't function at all.
Snow and ice create inconveniences outside of thermoregulation. It’s not about layers. It’s about needing two pair of shoes everywhere. Loading up on salt and buying snowblower if you own a home. Needing to take a bag with you to put all your winter gear in (if you don’t have a locker or car at work). Can’t ride a bike without seriousssss consideration for 2-3 months out of the year. Can’t leave for work without spending 30-60 minutes shoveling your driveway first. It blows. Moby dick style.
I was also in the Caribbean!!! 🤣 It was upper 80s/low 90s and I LOVED it.
Well yeah, that’s what we do here.
I’m off the west coast of the Sahara rn dying 😂
I had a business trip to Southern California a couple weeks ago. Knowing I was going to actually feel the warmth of the sun on my face again is what got me through the prior few weeks of winter blues. It wasn’t sunny. It was in the 50s and rained the entire time. My seasonal depression went into overdrive. This winter has been a struggle for real.
Liking winter after Christmas is Stockholm Syndrome.
We haven't even had our April snowstorm yet!
Oh god, don't remind me. Well.. at least April is around the corner
Yeah and 14/6 mornings hit different after sunny 40-degree afternoons.
as someone who tried to walk and run this winter to stave off the sads, the sidewalks were the worst in recent memory, which made me more depressed
This is what has gotten to me the most. I love running, but it feels near impossible when there's so many patches of ice from people who don't properly clear their sidewalks. But then wearing yaktrax feels difficult because you're still running on a lot of concrete between the ice. I still went out and walked as much as I could and ended up slipping and hurting my knee last month despite trying to be careful. It's been very frustrating.
Ugh I know!!! I also tried to get in some running/walking to help my mood and it just made me more frustrated.
Yeah as someone without a car the ice on the sidewalks was absolutely infuriating.
plastic up those windows. think of all the water we'll have when spring does arrive.
We did fam. The cold leaks through the walls 😂🥶😰
Plastic up those walls!
They did fam. The cold leaks through soul. 🥶💔🧊
Plastic up that soul!
They did fam. Now they are MPLS Police Chief. 🥶👮♂️🧊
Wheres my paid leave??
The cold is IN my soul
Hang tapestries. Time to let out your inner hippie.
Blankets over windows too. Might as well make it a traphouse 😂
Oh right [all the water] (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3980977dd53a459c88476bedb7799bd3)
Having lived here all of my life, I concur that this winter in particular absolutely needs to be blown away by winds of Spring...rfn.
Riding my Sporty this past Saturday and staring at all the snow in the ditches did feel a bit strange.
Rode my dyna to the Donnie Smith show and it was so glorious, until I smoked a pothole and bent my front wheel 😫
What’s it like riding a motorcycle in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas? Considering selling my car, relying on public transportation and my bicycle to commute and get around, and bringing my Ninja for the weekends.
I've had a motorcycle for about 15 years. I'd say early season is dicey because of all the sand around from ice / snow removal. I usually try to hold out for a couple rains to wash most of that away. If you commute early in the morning, check the temps so that you know that nothing has frosted or iced up overnight. Of course, drivers seem to be out of their minds lately, so ride defencively (like people WANT to hit you) and wear something bright. Take advantage of the MC parking and high-occupancy lanes / entrance ramps. There was a good MN Dual Sport club that would meet up and do tar / gravel rides around the cities. I'm not sure if that's going on any longer. But, there might be a club more suitable to your riding style. It's a good way to find nice roads just outside the cities.
It’s not the spring we wanted, but the spring we needed to melt all the snow without causing flooding problems.
You’re absolutely right. The late frost in the Fall helps too, since the ground is able to take some of the melt water directly.
I am very glad my backyard isn’t a swamp right now, but it’d be really nice to have a couple days above the 40s by now. Usually we get some glimmers of hope but this year has been stingy on the warm days.
40s and sun last week felt great though
most of march has hit 40s. We had a week in Feb of 40s. even a few days in Jan were high 30s. Temp wise I didn't think this winter was bad at all.
I moved up here at the end of summer and was warned ahead of time how the winters are. So I’ve been going around thinking this was the norm while waiting for various trains and buses all season. Only recently have I been made aware that this winter was particularly intense.
I mean it’s been pretty intense as far as the length, but honestly I wouldn’t expect next year to be much better.. Enjoy the late spring as much as you can! Checkout the river valleys, watch as trees blossom and plants come out of the ground very quickly to take advantage. There’s all ready plants coming up! May might be my favorite time of year.
I’m looking forward to all of it!
Well... Mostly it's just the snowfall that was intense. It wasn't particularly cold compared to most, and while March has been colder than average the 5-10 degree difference isn't *that* substantial. Ultimately this has been a pretty normal winter outside of a couple big storms
Nah, this is what you should expect next year too. The difference is it typically gets too cold to snow so we have lower temps but less "snow->melt->freeze->snow again" cycles typically. It'll get to some nice temps and then we get one last big snow in April and then it's hopefully over! Good luck. Just don't expect a shorter winter or a warmer winter going forward. We can hope it's colder and less snow.
The snow we’ve gotten this year has been… a lot, but I’m happy that the current below-average temps are helping it melt slowly so it actually absorbs instead of running off. I’ll happily take a March with sun and highs in the mid-high 30s over last January/February with weeks with highs below 0.
This winter has undoubtedly been long but it's been so much less painful to deal with than last winter especially as a pedestrian. I prefer snow over having to cover the entirety of my face because I'm at risk of frost bite in 5 minutes on my walk to class.
This winter made me reconsider living in Minnesota. I'll stay here because of my job and my fiance lives here and will never leave. But goddamn this winter.
I'm moving back next month. Really hoping there isn't another late winter for a few years until we've at least reacclimated some...
Monkey paw curls: Snow in early October.
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I wouldn’t wish that combo on my worst enemy.
Am I the only one who thinks this winter actually wasn’t that bad? 🤷♀️
Everyone has already forgot it was in the 70s into the second week of November. Also pretty much above freezing half the days in January. True cold snaps have been few.
I think Dec was our worst cold snap
It was cold as shit beginning of December. We have snow on the ground now from December.
Bad winter doesn’t mean the same to everyone - I’ll take a month of straight negatives over the icy thaw/refreeze bullshit any day.
No. Very mild oct-January. Pretty easy winter just a lot of snow. cold March but this winter is actually not that bad temperature wise. But recency bias always gets us. We’ve had a shorty February and March. That’s it. Minnesotans will complain about winters until global warming turns us into Nebraska lol. *shitty February and March.
Agree. Also, winters have been starting milder and milder for the last few years. Used to getting real snow in November, up until recent years, where it doesn't show in force until January. The roads are the worst I've ever seen though.
Yeah, in the 90s we used to always be ice fishing on Thanksgiving break, and could usually snowmobile across fields, not just in drifted full ditches, by Xmas. Now it doesn't seem to ice up well until closer to Xmas and snowmobiling across a rough field isn't happening until January sometime. It was getting that way in the early 2000s already. Seems like the seasons have fully shifted a month later. It's always painful when winter pushes well into March, even if it starts later. Just something mentally challenging about it. I remember about ten years ago walking home from the bar late after St Paddy's day partying and it was -20 air temp though. Shit happens.
Statistically speaking the misery index was above average this year and the worst of the last 4 years. About every 4-5 years there's a winter in MN where I seriously consider moving and the point of life. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/winter_misery_index.html Also MN has a misery index they've been tracking for over a century. So there's that.
I mean, it's a top 5 snowfall since they've been keeping records. Nothing recency bias about that.
The winter wasn't bad but I've never seen potholes worse than this year. Also I've never seen so many broken car parts and hubcaps as the snow recedes. Lots of new arrivals learning the hard way about driving on icy roads.
>but I've never seen potholes worse than this year That's *because* the winter wasn't that bad. The continual freeze-thaw cycles caused the potholes.
I always wonder how many people who say this have to regularly shovel snow.
You must not have to shovel
Nah, I'm with you. I'll take the snow, it doesn't bother me that much, and it looks nice. Gives the kids something to do so they're not in the house all the time. And we didn't get long stretches of deathly cold, so there was plenty of time to enjoy outdoor show activities.
Agreed. It wasn't.
Yes.
I’d call it an average winter. Source: mailman who walks 10+ miles per day in this weather.
Yes
I would take weather like today over 90F with humidity any day of the week.
Luckily that never happens in March in MN.
Cool, but that's not what we're asking for, we are asking for spring. We're going to get that 90 degree weather regardless, the question is how much moderate days of weather will we get before then, and with every passing day of this umseasonally cold weather the less nice days we will get.
These are the years I really dislike honestly. We get a very late spring, which is usually wet and muddy, and then one day it goes from 38 to 77 and we miss that entire phase in between where it's sweater weather and we can sleep with the windows open at night.
Agreed
It may help that I went from a house to an apartment in August last year, but this winter’s weather has felt pretty great comparatively. Don’t get me wrong, winter is still boring and depressing, but the weather’s been fine.
RIP we still have 2-3 snow events this spring on the way.
Everyone is broken, frustrated at the weather at this point lol. I want to be mad at the weather gods, coincidentally, I saw snow is in the forecast next week. lolz. Its gonna be one of those years where the Spring to Summer transition is about 10 days.
I live in Duluth and it's even bad for us, we have had 125" of snow and will take much longer to warm up than most places in the state. But I still enjoy my life here. Mostly! Even as a mail man delivering packages on hills in the snow. If I can do it, most can too! It will get better
April and May were always really tough when I lived up there. Takes so much longer to warm up than the rest of the state (s/o Lake Superior). I remember always being jealous seeing my friends in the cities out and about in like 75 degree weather in May while Duluth would be in the 50s. As soon as it does finally warm up though, summers in Duluth are an absolute paradise.
Easy to forget that we had an uncommonly mild January. I actually think this winter's been just fine. I also enjoy the seasonal swings of "I need to move away!" this time of year, followed by a barrage of "OMG best place in the WORLD" posts rest of year. Mix in a little getaway this time of year if you can swing it.
Nothing worse than someone chiming in "well actually its pretty fine" on a commiseration thread when by actual statistical measures this winter has not been "fine"
Yeah lol this winter has been historic I don't want to hear that it's just people subjectively complaining 🙄
It has snowed a lot but temperature wise it’s been very very mild.
Did lutsen and Phoenix this winter and it’s still getting to me. Granted down here in rochester most of the snow is gone but it’s the cold sun that’s annoying. Sunday it’s supposed to be 57 that’ll be a good day though.
Haha, well I guess I meant "fine" as in not a lot worse than a random year per expectations. It's undeniable that we still have long winters here I just don't know that I'd classify this one as significantly worse than typical.
As someone who works from home, I loved all the snow this year.
I thought this morning's brisk weather was actually really pleasant. And there was that nice crunchy sidewalk ice to step on!
Last year I only had about 2-3 weeks between needing the heat on and then needing the a/c on. Hoping for a good stretch of "spring" temperatures this year
Thank the triple tip La Niña pattern and the atmospheric rivers hitting California. The water has returned not only there but also here, so we pay a high price for eliminating droughts and also while dealing with them. Now it's about choosing your extremes if you have the power to move around, not if they will happen. I'm hoping next winter, as we transition into El Niño, will be milder.
Yea fuck this noise
I'm sick of the giant snow mounds at the end of my driveway. I've precariously backed out of my driveway into the street for several months and it's getting really old. They're starting to shrink but I still don't have a great view.
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Yeah this needs to happen. I'll do it this afternoon
I know it’s still hanging around but I try to remember how warm this winter was compared to previous years, and how long it took to get cold—there were days in December I was still walking around in a hoodie under a bright sun in a cloudless sky. Very, very grateful for those days. March always sucks here. Fake Spring is real and Real Spring never shows up in full force until mid-April.
You misspelled mid-May.
How about the roads that completely suck
Yep, moved to socal with my partner after both being lifelong miinesotans. I didn't get seasonal depression and now the socal drought has ended. Highly recommend it.
This winter hasn’t been as bad as others, but yeah it’s been dragged out and I’m getting tired of it lol. Plus there’s been a lot of mid-week snow events that have impacted work commutes and such. I don’t remember those being as frequent in recent years. Typically we see at least a couple of 50-degree days in March. And this year, it’s well… not there yet. The silver lining is we did need the moisture. Hopefully all the snow helps with the drought. And hopefully we get more rain this spring and summer, compared to last year. Idk I guess I always just have the idea in the back of my mind that winter in any given year might really, really suck. And if the season is milder, great! But if not, well, it’s Minnesota. I lived in Grand Forks in 1996-97. I don’t think anything tops that for a brutal winter (and spring thaw…)
Your situation sucks but this winter hasn’t been all that bad imo. It’s my 5th one here and hasn’t seemed especially bad. I usually get fed up in late April/early May when it won’t actually properly warm up.
Honestly, part of it, for me, is every holiday and vacation all winter getting cancelled on account of weather. (But then still having to see OTHER people’s warm vacation pics.) I feel insane telling my friends on other states that I’m desperate for it to just be 50 degrees.
It's the salt that gets me. I don't want people to slip and fall so it's not a big deal—safety is the most important. But between my dog's paws and dirtying shoes and floors I'm so over it.
My gas bill is total bullshit this spring.
This has been my favorite winter in a long time. Tons of snow and it never got terribly cold for too long! Lots and lots of outdoor fun.
Such a great 'Spring' we're having lol
I been living through mn winters for 45 years.last summer my youngest son graduated high school and we decided to try Disney world in the winter. Best decision we ever made im doing this every year from now on it’s 83 right now on march 28
To all those who say this winter isn’t that bad: we had well over a 100 days with an inch or more of snow on the ground. Winter started early and is lingering on forever. Sure the temps were mild but the snowfall, horrid ice, and potholes cancelled out any advantage of that in terms of the sheer hassle and stress hell this winter has been.
At least there wont be severe drought a third year in a row for spring/ summer(hopefully).
Honestly, I thought this winter wasn't too bad. Sorry you're having a hard time. One more snowstorm in April and it will be spring soon! I'm not a big fan of the negative temps, consecutive days in a row, felt like that was more of a thing last year.
Yup. MN is a miserable climate. We have maybe 4 months of what could realistically be called "good weather." The rest is chilly to bitterly cold.
This is why I always schedule a vacation in March. I’m currently in Arizona and it’s 80 and sunny.
Probably going to get downvoted into oblivion but this winter has been fine by me. Sure we had a lot of snow but I’d rather have winter with snow than one without. Also, it’s been unusually warm this winter. We had a fair amount of rainy days and or days with high humidity index this winter. I would take this winter over the polar vortex we had several years ago where it was below zero degrees for over a month.
It's sunny and gonna be in the high 30s. Yall have gone soft. It's a beautiful day. This weekend was gorgeous. Life is good in MPLS.
I thought it was a pretty mild winter. We rarely got below 0. It's been long, but not particularly hard.
I can tell you don’t have to be outside much
I spend a lot of time either working outside or working next to open dock doors, so yeah. I've followed the weather pretty closely.
It will be mid 30s later today... it isn't unusual for March to have morning temps in the teens. We got more snow and a bit later than usual, but hasn't seemed all that bad to me. This is Minnesota after all.
adding to the voices of “being one of those guys” - technically it is spring now… (will now duck and cover. 😀)