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It's just not as terrible as some of you make it out to be.
That's your perception though. Yes, I grew up in a winter climate. However, the climate where I grew up is different than the winter climate here. The winter in MN resembles Winnipeg almost throughout the entire year, right down to the mosquitos in the summer.
After growing up in Canada, living overseas in hot, humid Asia, TN and two different AZ cities, not dealing with winter in over a decade and then coming to a place with a winter socked in for almost half the year - is terrible to us.
If you grew up here, then you are accustomed to it. It's your normal . It is not our normal.
This is where the disconnect is. Many here seem to personalize our perceptions based on our experiences elsewhere. Based on where I grew up, where I have lived in the world, yes, MN has the nastiest winter. Based on my experiences, Korea has the nastiest summers because of the heat, humidity and pollution, although Phoenix comes close second.
It is all personal perception and preference. Before we moved here, I thought that I would prefer the 4 seasons in MN to AZ's 2. I thought that I would take winter to AZ summer any day after experiencing both in my lifetime. Then, after experiencing MN's winter which is very different than the winter climate in which I grew up, we have determined for us that when faced with the choice between hot summers lacking 4 seasons and a very cold long winter, we prefer the hot summers in AZ.
Maybe if you move somewhere else in the future, maybe you have, I don't know. If one has lived in many places, they have a form of reference, past experience with many cultures, climates, lifestyles - that opens one up to a basis for comparison. If one doesn't have a basis of comparison b/c they have lived here all their life, then how can our experiences here be refuted since we do have many different experiences on which to base our opinions?
Are you talking about Calgary or Minneapolis? Have you ever been to Calgary? The winters between Calgary and Minneapolis couldn't be more different as I explained in my previous post. I'm saying the Winter HERE is 5 or 6 months.. because errrr... that's what it's been this year here.
Calgary gets Chinooks. Warm air masses over the mountains. It can be -30 for a week and then suddenly in the 50's for a week, then maybe down to the 30's and then a bit cold snap with heavy snow, but the snow melts in a few days when another chinook rolls in.
There ain't no chinooks in Minneapolis. The snow that is melting now has been here since that first big dump in mid November. Calgary has had about 20 melts since then and is getting more snow as we speak.
The two places are VERY different winter-wise. Minneapolis is FAR worse winter weather than Calgary --- by far - soley because it is colder for longer and the winter is socked in. Once it's here, it's here. Calgary gets a reprieve.
Now Calgary's drawback is it can snow there in May.. happened May Long Weekend many a time. Even seen snow in July and August. Summer is VERY short. That is why people wait impatiently for summer b/c winter teases us with all those chinooks and then Miss Nature throws in a major storm in May just when everyone is itching to plant their annuals and pots!
The summer here is quite nice - I wasn't disputing that. The winter here is nasty and too long. I wish I could do winter activities, but this metal hip cut me out of skiing a few years ago. Miss those Canadian Rockies - Sunshine and Lake Louise. Great slopes.
I do find it odd you would try to twist a post about the differences of Calgary/Denver/Minneapolis winter to Minneapolis having better weather throughout the rest of the year. I will say Calgary's summers are usually CRAP with a Capital CRAP! But Minneapolis winter is nasty to the core compared to Calgary and Denver... just the way it is.
I generally agree with you about Calgary benefiting from the Chinooks and having an overall milder winter. Although I've never been in Calgary in the winter, I've experienced the Denver equivalent and in one week it went from below zero to 50/60's, with lots of sunshine.
However, I do think you overstate two comments regarding Minnesota winters:
1. 5 or 6 months for winter: I guess it depends how you define winter, but in my opinion winter begins in mid-November and lasts until late March, which is 4.5 months. In recent years, I'd argue that winter didn't begin until mid December and it was gone by early-mid march. This year has been more severe and I think it started in mid-November and will probably be gone in early April (5 months).
2. Winter is socked in: While we don't get Chinook style reprieves, we certainly get thaws, or periods when the temps get in the 30s or 40s during the winter.
PS: I've visited Calgary and Banff/Lake Louise twice in the summer (in 1984 and 2004) and both times I lucked out and had great weather.
I generally agree with you about Calgary benefiting from the Chinooks and having an overall milder winter. Although I've never been in Calgary in the winter, I've experienced the Denver equivalent and in one week it went from below zero to 50/60's, with lots of sunshine.
However, I do think you overstate two comments regarding Minnesota winters:
1. 5 or 6 months for winter: I guess it depends how you define winter, but in my opinion winter begins in mid-November and lasts until late March, which is 4.5 months. In recent years, I'd argue that winter didn't begin until mid December and it was gone by early-mid march. This year has been more severe and I think it started in mid-November and will probably be gone in early April (5 months).
2. Winter is socked in: While we don't get Chinook style reprieves, we certainly get thaws, or periods when the temps get in the 30s or 40s during the winter.
PS: I've visited Calgary and Banff/Lake Louise twice in the summer (in 1984 and 2004) and both times I lucked out and had great weather.
4.5 - 5 months - not that much difference, really. That's just semantics. Ok, 6 months, pushing it, although it's really not outdoor, patio weather, sprinklers are blown out in Mid Oct - the prep for winter lasts about a month too with cool weather not cold enough to be winter, but nowhere near summer.
Sure, there are few days here and there that the temps go into the 30's-40's in the middle of the winter, but it doesn't thaw the entire area and in the years I have been here, I have never seen the snow go away entirely. That is what I mean by socked in. Once the snow is here, we're stuck with it til the spring thaw. In Calgary and Denver, it goes away. It can be gone for weeks, if they are lucky.
One year, in the craziest Chinook in history, the golf courses were opened up for a couple weeks in Feb b/c the temps were 25 C which is about 77 F. It was insane!
You did luck out with great weather. There are times when there have been fabulous summers. It typically works out that if there is a mild winter, it is paid for in the summer. Nasty winter, typically is a nice summer, but that was refuted last summer in Calgary. They got a double whammy - nasty winter and nasty summer.
Another difference is dry vs humid. Calgary is horrendously dry. As soon as I go home, my lips are dry and almost cracked. Skin is like a snake. Here, even in winter while it is drier with forced air heat, I don't have nearly the same skin problems as I do in Calgary. Don't know if denver is that dry, but Calgary is extremely so. Makes for nice summer days b/c of lack of humidity - when there are nice summer days! lol
4.5 - 5 months - not that much difference, really. That's just semantics. Ok, 6 months, pushing it, although it's really not outdoor, patio weather, sprinklers are blown out in Mid Oct - the prep for winter lasts about a month too with cool weather not cold enough to be winter, but nowhere near summer.
Sure, there are few days here and there that the temps go into the 30's-40's in the middle of the winter, but it doesn't thaw the entire area and in the years I have been here, I have never seen the snow go away entirely. That is what I mean by socked in. Once the snow is here, we're stuck with it til the spring thaw. In Calgary and Denver, it goes away. It can be gone for weeks, if they are lucky.
One year, in the craziest Chinook in history, the golf courses were opened up for a couple weeks in Feb b/c the temps were 25 C which is about 77 F. It was insane!
You did luck out with great weather. There are times when there have been fabulous summers. It typically works out that if there is a mild winter, it is paid for in the summer. Nasty winter, typically is a nice summer, but that was refuted last summer in Calgary. They got a double whammy - nasty winter and nasty summer.
Another difference is dry vs humid. Calgary is horrendously dry. As soon as I go home, my lips are dry and almost cracked. Skin is like a snake. Here, even in winter while it is drier with forced air heat, I don't have nearly the same skin problems as I do in Calgary. Don't know if denver is that dry, but Calgary is extremely so. Makes for nice summer days b/c of lack of humidity - when there are nice summer days! lol
There have been at least 5 Xmases in my short life that have been brown.
I have a question. Okay...so just today I was outside (Shopping in a outlet mall in centinnial,co) And it was really sunny, but the air was extremely cold. Does this ever happen in Minneapolis...or does it just stay cold??
I have a question. Okay...so just today I was outside (Shopping in a outlet mall in centinnial,co) And it was really sunny, but the air was extremely cold. Does this ever happen in Minneapolis...or does it just stay cold??
General rule for winter in MN is that sun=cold. Clouds keep the heat in.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sparksals
That's your perception though. Yes, I grew up in a winter climate. However, the climate where I grew up is different than the winter climate here. The winter in MN resembles Winnipeg almost throughout the entire year, right down to the mosquitos in the summer.
After growing up in Canada, living overseas in hot, humid Asia, TN and two different AZ cities, not dealing with winter in over a decade and then coming to a place with a winter socked in for almost half the year - is terrible to us.
If you grew up here, then you are accustomed to it. It's your normal . It is not our normal.
This is where the disconnect is. Many here seem to personalize our perceptions based on our experiences elsewhere. Based on where I grew up, where I have lived in the world, yes, MN has the nastiest winter. Based on my experiences, Korea has the nastiest summers because of the heat, humidity and pollution, although Phoenix comes close second.
It is all personal perception and preference. Before we moved here, I thought that I would prefer the 4 seasons in MN to AZ's 2. I thought that I would take winter to AZ summer any day after experiencing both in my lifetime. Then, after experiencing MN's winter which is very different than the winter climate in which I grew up, we have determined for us that when faced with the choice between hot summers lacking 4 seasons and a very cold long winter, we prefer the hot summers in AZ.
Maybe if you move somewhere else in the future, maybe you have, I don't know. If one has lived in many places, they have a form of reference, past experience with many cultures, climates, lifestyles - that opens one up to a basis for comparison. If one doesn't have a basis of comparison b/c they have lived here all their life, then how can our experiences here be refuted since we do have many different experiences on which to base our opinions?
I have lived in 4 different cities and my parents live in a 5th different city in San Francisco with a completely different climate. I don't know what all climates are like but I know a lot about the Midwest and the Central Plains. In my experiences, I have found that weather is entirely relative and that it's easy to get accustomed to it if you give it a try. But that's just ME, I guess.
Cities I've lived in:
Minneapolis
Chicago
Columbus, OH
St. Louis
Sun dogs are the bright spots on either side and above the sun that show up on cold, clear, still days, when ice crystals (ie very small snowflakes) hang in the air. Due to the refractive properties of the ice crystals, you get false suns about 30 degrees away from the sun. I saw a sun dog this winter that resulted from ice crystals right near my position - a billboard sign was blocking the light from faraway crystals, but the sun dog appeared anyway.
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