How are the average winters in MSP? (Minneapolis, St. Cloud: live, rating)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Someone forgot to tell April about the March 31 cutoff this year.

Another freekin storm coming this weekend.

Good, I'll be driving up by the UP of Michigan this weekend, looking forward to the deep snows- doing about a dozen trails in Vilas County, WI. I think my Forester will come in handy a bit.

[Justabitoff]

Originally Posted by daboywonder2002

thats the one thing I love about Minnesota. Plenty of plows to take care of the roads. I remember living in PHiladelphia and you had to listen to the radio to see if schools would be closed. Not here, they don't shut down anything.

Schools have closed or closed early the last two Monday snow storms...

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Justabitoff

Schools have closed or closed early the last two Monday snow storms...

ya, all because St. Paul sucks at plowing snow and getting their kids home. now all school districts/Superintendents are running scared.

[Tascio Vanos]

It should be noted that most winters here are not average.

Minnesota lies far from the moderating influence of the ocean. We get a wide possibility of temperatures. On a day in January, you might have a high of 45F or one of -15F. Both would be unusual. But highs of 35F or -5F wouldn't be particularly notable, and that forty-degree range is still significant. Most places don't see such a radical potential variation for given dates.

We don't see quite the variation as our neighbors to the west (see the map below) but whether you're talking cold or snow, most winters here will deviate notably from what is statistically average.



Brian B's Climate Blog: Intra-Annual Climate Variability

[mingna]

Originally Posted by MPLSMINN

In my opinion there are 3 major types of winter misery. a) Snow (and getting around in it), b) cold, and c) duration. and if I were to list them in order of which will cause you misery in Minneapolis it would be duration first (mid November to March 31st), cold second....and snow third. We only average 40-45 inches of that and they clear it pretty quickly here in the city.

The only real strike against this place is the winter. Sounds like it will be a step up for you. I think you'd really like Minneapolis.

Job market is usually close to best in the country. It's irrationally clean, the arts/music scene is off the charts, good schools, low crime, relatively liberal politics etc... I heard it described as a Canadian/Scandinavian mix. I think that's accurate.

a) It's generally too cold for the type of heavy snowfalls experienced by Lake-effect snow areas such as Buffalo. But occasional blizzards, with the snow remaining long-term, yes.

b) But, but, but...it's a dry cold! Besides, it all feels the same for anything below 20 deg. anyways. (Meaning, after a while all feeling in your extremities will be lost when a nice numbness sets in.)

c) This year notwithstanding, I'd say March generally marks the transition into Spring. "In like a Lion, and out like a Lamb," after all. Sometimes the weather would even warm up enough for shorts and t-shirts! The tail end generally brings in the slushy season of melting snow mixed with dirt. Yuck.

[Grizzly Addams]

This year blows

Winter was going so smoothly until now.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Addams

This year blows

Winter was going so smoothly until now.

Yep, coldest first ten days of April in the record books for the Twin Cities and most likely the entire state, according to Mark Seeley on MPR. Add the weekend blizzard - *nearly* a record April blizzard and many parts of the state have already set snowfall records for April.

This year is an outlier ... though many will post here that it is the norm.

[Tascio Vanos]

Originally Posted by mingna

But, but, but...it's a dry cold!

Though I increasingly dislike each passing winter here, the worst winter I've ever spent was in Alabama on the gone and not lamented (at least, not by me) Fort McClellan. We never saw any below zero temperatures and I doubt we even got down into single digits. We had snow all of once (about an inch, and it pretty much brought the area to a standstill). But the cold? I've spend my life in Northfield, Duluth/Superior, and the Twin Cities, and I've never been as cold as during that Alabama winter. It was a wet, bone-chilling cold, and I was unable to really feel warm until March had arrived (I arrived on base in January).

[Grizzly Addams]

Originally Posted by WoodburyWoody

Yep, coldest first ten days of April in the record books for the Twin Cities and most likely the entire state, according to Mark Seeley on MPR. Add the weekend blizzard - *nearly* a record April blizzard and many parts of the state have already set snowfall records for April.

This year is an outlier ... though many will post here that it is the norm.

Definitely... and a good portion of them will be out of staters trying to reconfirm their preconceived notion that winter is 7 months long in Minnesota.

[mrconfusion87]

So much snow this April that the Winnipeg Jets got delayed in their arrival in the Twin Cities for the 3rd playoff game against the Wild at the X! Good thing they made it in time for the game and the Wild won 6-2! Roll on next game! Time for the Wild to defend #OurIce!