twin cities weather (Minneapolis, Kent: to buy, place to live, gym)

[NewlyNatural]

I am well aware that it gets awfully cold in the twin cities but I want to know how people deal with the cold. What I mean is do people still get out and enjoy the twin cities despite the bitter cold weather? It seems like a great place to live but I have never lived anywhere with extremely cold weather although I am very familiar with extremely hot weather. I currently reside in AZ and I stay in to avoid the scorching heat.

[Mr. In-Between]

It does put something of a damper on being out and about, but it mostly depends on what kind of activities you like to do. I lived in the Twin Cities most of the last 30 years, and I was very active in the winter. Obviously, I had to give up canoeing and rollerblading for half the year, and didn't spend as much time bicycling as I did in the summer months, but I loved winter hiking even more than summer hiking. I hiked on the North Shore of Lake Superior, in -20 temperatures, and was quite comfortable as long as I remembered to wear pants and such. Most of the winter, the lowest daytime temperatures may get down into the single digits above zero, and while that may sound cold by Arizona standards, if you're out in the sun and moving around it's nothing.

If you're asking whether it's feasible to just get out and enjoy everyday activities like shopping, going to museums and concerts, etc., then the answer is unequivocally yes. Snowstorms are far more likely to interfere with your daily activities than cold. You dress more warmly, and give the car a little more time to heat up, but keep in mind that the infrastructure of the Twin Cities was designed with cold weather in mind - most public venues, and their parking facilities, are built to get you indoors as quickly as possible. Sidewalk access is generally good, both downtowns have skyways (elevated pedestrian walkways that cross streets in mid-block. and connect major buildings), and many parking structures are semi-enclosed and sheltered somewhat from the elements.

Also bear in mind that whenever the Weather Channel is looking for a dramatic tease during the winter months, they show shots of people bumbling through the streets of Minneapolis in below-zero windchills, with clouds of fog billowing out of the fronts of their parkas - so when most people from warmer climates think of the Cities in wintertime, that's the image they remember. Trouble is, that may have been the only day all winter long that it was that cold - but that's still the image that sticks in peoples' minds. There are usually only a dozen or so extremely cold days in the Cities each winter, and even then, the low temperatures come at night, and it's extremely rare for it not to get above zero in the daytime.

I really wouldn't let the extremity of the cold be too much of a factor. What wears most people down is the snow, the shortness of the days (it starts getting dark by 4:30 PM in mid-winter), and the length of winter - that is, how many months the weather is cold. By the time March starts peeking around the corner of the calendar, even diehard winter lovers are ready for longer days, softer breezes, and trees with green leaves on them.

[golfgal]

It's a lot easier to deal with the cold than the heat I think. You can always add layers of clothing to stay warm..but there is only so much you can take off to stay cool . There is maybe a handful of days where it's really REALLY cold, once you get used to it. Those days you just bundle up if you have to go out. If you don't have to go out you just sit by the fireplace and read a good book. Most people are out and about like they would be in the middle of the summer, snow skiing vs water skiing, ice skating vs swimming, etc.

[NewlyNatural]

Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile

It does put something of a damper on being out and about, but it mostly depends on what kind of activities you like to do. I lived in the Twin Cities most of the last 30 years, and I was very active in the winter. Obviously, I had to give up canoeing and rollerblading for half the year, and didn't spend as much time bicycling as I did in the summer months, but I loved winter hiking even more than summer hiking. I hiked on the North Shore of Lake Superior, in -20 temperatures, and was quite comfortable as long as I remembered to wear pants and such. Most of the winter, the lowest daytime temperatures may get down into the single digits above zero, and while that may sound cold by Arizona standards, if you're out in the sun and moving around it's nothing.

If you're asking whether it's feasible to just get out and enjoy everyday activities like shopping, going to museums and concerts, etc., then the answer is unequivocally yes. Snowstorms are far more likely to interfere with your daily activities than cold. You dress more warmly, and give the car a little more time to heat up, but keep in mind that the infrastructure of the Twin Cities was designed with cold weather in mind - most public venues, and their parking facilities, are built to get you indoors as quickly as possible. Sidewalk access is generally good, both downtowns have skyways (elevated pedestrian walkways that cross streets in mid-block. and connect major buildings), and many parking structures are semi-enclosed and sheltered somewhat from the elements.

Also bear in mind that whenever the Weather Channel is looking for a dramatic tease during the winter months, they show shots of people bumbling through the streets of Minneapolis in below-zero windchills, with clouds of fog billowing out of the fronts of their parkas - so when most people from warmer climates think of the Cities in wintertime, that's the image they remember. Trouble is, that may have been the only day all winter long that it was that cold - but that's still the image that sticks in peoples' minds. There are usually only a dozen or so extremely cold days in the Cities each winter, and even then, the low temperatures come at night, and it's extremely rare for it not to get above zero in the daytime.

I really wouldn't let the extremity of the cold be too much of a factor. What wears most people down is the snow, the shortness of the days (it starts getting dark by 4:30 PM in mid-winter), and the length of winter - that is, how many months the weather is cold. By the time March starts peeking around the corner of the calendar, even diehard winter lovers are ready for longer days, softer breezes, and trees with green leaves on them.

Thank you for replying! You gave very good information. I have about one more extreme summer in me, can't take the heat anymore. It is really uncomfortable to deal with.

[NewlyNatural]

Originally Posted by golfgal

It's a lot easier to deal with the cold than the heat I think. You can always add layers of clothing to stay warm..but there is only so much you can take off to stay cool . There is maybe a handful of days where it's really REALLY cold, once you get used to it. Those days you just bundle up if you have to go out. If you don't have to go out you just sit by the fireplace and read a good book. Most people are out and about like they would be in the middle of the summer, snow skiing vs water skiing, ice skating vs swimming, etc.

I'm beginning to think the same thing. Hopefully this is my last stint in the desert with extremely hot temperatures! Looking forward to some cool weather to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Thanks for replying!

[Mr. In-Between]

I moved from Minnesota to Kentucky. I find it many, many times easier to adjust to the cold than to the heat. No matter how cold it is, if you're wearing the proper clothes you don't even notice it. In the heat, the instant you walk out the door it's like somebody just dumped a whole bucket of hot all over you, and you're drenched in it all day long. It just wraps itself around you, and there's no getting away from it. If it's cold, and you have a good jacket and hat and some gloves, you're perfectly comfortable. night and day difference.

[pete6032]

You get used to it really quickly. Many people still go out and do their daily routine just as they would on a normal spring/summer/fall day. People still run and walk around the lakes, some people go snowshoeing or cross country skiing. There are generally more people at the gym working out indoors.

Really the only time the cold affects you is if there is bad weather or if it gets frigid cold for periods of 5+ days. When you go a whole week with the temperature never getting above 10 degrees it gets frustrating, but then it warms up to 20, 25 degrees and it feels amazingly nice. You have to make an extra effort to care for your car in the winter so you don't risk getting stranded, and you might have to cancel your shopping trip if it is snowing heavily, but other than that it really doesn't affect a whole lot.

[Mdcastle]

I like the comment about how the media has perpetuated the cliché about people shuffling around in parkas in subzero temperatures. It does get that cold, but it doesn't stay there for more than a few days at most. The reality it that a typical day might be somewhere in the 20s, which is warm enough you can just don a light coat for quick trips out to your car, or you can put on warmer clothes (and its not necessary to buy arctic expedition stuff) if you want to stay out for an extended period of time.

[NewlyNatural]

Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile

I moved from Minnesota to Kentucky. I find it many, many times easier to adjust to the cold than to the heat. No matter how cold it is, if you're wearing the proper clothes you don't even notice it. In the heat, the instant you walk out the door it's like somebody just dumped a whole bucket of hot all over you, and you're drenched in it all day long. It just wraps itself around you, and there's no getting away from it. If it's cold, and you have a good jacket and hat and some gloves, you're perfectly comfortable. night and day difference.

Yes the heat is definitely no joke!

[NewlyNatural]

Originally Posted by pete6032

You get used to it really quickly. Many people still go out and do their daily routine just as they would on a normal spring/summer/fall day. People still run and walk around the lakes, some people go snowshoeing or cross country skiing. There are generally more people at the gym working out indoors.

Really the only time the cold affects you is if there is bad weather or if it gets frigid cold for periods of 5+ days. When you go a whole week with the temperature never getting above 10 degrees it gets frustrating, but then it warms up to 20, 25 degrees and it feels amazingly nice. You have to make an extra effort to care for your car in the winter so you don't risk getting stranded, and you might have to cancel your shopping trip if it is snowing heavily, but other than that it really doesn't affect a whole lot.

It's good to know that it isn't as bad as the media portrays it. I think I could stomach the cold much better after sweating it out in the desert for so long.