How do you handle the extreme artic cold weather in Minnesota? (Minneapolis: income, dangerous)

[rzzz]

-20F is dangerously cold. Unexposed skin will get frostbite in 30 minutes at that temperature, with no wind.
My dad was a doctor in northern MN and treated dozens of acute frostbite cases every year. There was always one death every year due to the cold, usually because someone got drunk and froze to death in their car. People deal with it by spending as little time as possible outdoors. Outdoor workers generally wear insulated boots, heavy hats and mittens, and arctic coveralls or bibs and a coat, from manufacturers like Carhartt.

[sholomar]

Here's a little map that shows in red, and further refined in green, the area I would rather not live in, yet I do. Actually I'd take the twin cities area along the Mississippi over locations in the great plains (like Scottsbluff, Nebraska) that are warmer, because there's nothing in the great plains. The area with absolutely no redeeming value for me whatsoever would be the green areas and the flat areas west of that sky blue line... great for farming, but that's about it. This would include cities like Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, along with Brookings, Aberdeen, Huron, SD, and Marshall, MN. Unless I had a good paying job in one of these (which I do) because money matters....

Although it's only 55 miles away, Sioux Falls is considerably warmer than Brookings with more to do, and would be at about the southern extent of my red line. However these lines are not absolutes. There are warm areas I'd rather not live because there's nothing in them or the cities have a 'bad reputation' such as Sioux City, Iowa. The twin cities only ever get spoke about positively by the people in eastern South Dakota and have plenty to offer in their own right.



If you're wondering where to get this map, look here:

NWS Conus - 8 to 14 Day Outlook

[Govie]

It's in my DNA - half of my ancestors were Swedes and Danes. The other half were Krauts and Czechs.

What bothers me more than the extreme cold is the SLOP we have to deal with on the streets and in parking lots. Also the hell my car goes through in starting in the morning at -20 windchill and in such sludge.

Originally Posted by Ghengis

it's not that cold and without a wind it feels much nicer

Pretty much. Even at 1 degrees today, without the wind it's not so much.

[steel03]

Bundle up, building hop when you need to go outside, and remember to notice the freshness of the air and the beauty of the winter light.

[green_mariner]

It is about how you dress. If you dress the right way, it might not be that comfortable to be in -40 F, but it can be done.

[golfgal]

High temps in the -15° range on Monday--this is just unreal!

[Govie]

Originally Posted by golfgal

High temps in the -15° range on Monday--this is just unreal!

Coldest in 18 years, it is. I'll be on the bus stop at 8 a.m.

[StilltheSame]

I would expect to see some metro area real estate available shortly.

[rzzz]

The average winter temperatures in Denmark and Sweden are 10-20 degrees higher than Minneapolis. Minnesotan temps are more like Siberia. We're beating Siberia this year.

[icicles]

I think the temps are pretty normal for MN. The past 2 yrs have NOT been normal.
When I grew up, in 9th grade, 1995 tower MN got to -60F.

We had weeks of -15F up to -30F in the cities in the 1990's. I think people have been spoiled the last 2 years because I have been checking the temps. I moved from MN 3 yrs ago because I hated the constent 3 months of butt cold weather and walking to the car in single digits every morning. Now its back to normal and I am smiling because its toasty where I am at

Lewis Black on Minnesota, pretty funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvx9w16r2Ak