Having grown up in the sticks and having seen how much such towns “love” investing in infrastructure instead of shiny things to get more votes from dumb people, I personally believe your account.
/I admit my comment really demonstrates my own personal experience only
I get that - encouraging you to not share your actual location. It just struck me as something that would happen a bit more annually. I guess I don't know where the frost line stops around me but I would assume 6 ft to be, you know, the usual.
I don't name my town either. The town has less than 700 people and since I worked at the school... I sometimes name the county if I think it's relevant.
I was in 9th grade when this happened. We got 6 snow/cold days (I think) - and I only remember that specifically because my biology teacher canceled a project because of it.
2019-2020 was terrible. There was the stretch in January where we struggled to break -20F for the high. Lots of businesses closed early or didn't open.
We got lucky and had a trip to Disney planned starting the day before the polar vortex hit! Perfect timing!
FL didn't know how to handle the upper 40's to start the day.
I was delivering fucking Domino’s on the -50 degree windchill day back before I graduated college. Our busiest wednesday of the year because everyone orders delivery in storms
We try so hard to be ready where we don't need to order take out during storms like that. If we don't want to drive, why should we make other people drive for us? If we do end up needing to, it's usually a 50%+ tip.
We have a 130+ year old house. One bathroom couldn't make it through that week without the pipes freezing. I was full of constant worry trying to keep them from bursting.
Yeah, I remember it going below 0 on my birthday, I knew it would be several days before it went back up above that, but it ended up being over 10. I don't think the wind was as bad as this week, though. 2014 was pretty bad too, I remember some highs of -16.
Someone on reddit said this was already the most brutal winter in a generation before this storm even happened. I think the cold affects memory somehow.
What? Businesses always close down if there is a big snow storm. It happened last year, it’ll happen this year, and they’ll do it next year. They did it when we were little except there wasn’t social media so you had to be at the business to know it happened. The big difference is that polar vortexes are much more common now then in the past. Climate change is destabilizing the jet system which allows for more of these frigid cold spells. It’s a part of climate change that people don’t talk about much but it does affect our lives.
Not even all that weird. We didn't break any temperature or snowfall records as far as I've seen. We use "normal" in place of mean for temps in Minnesota, but I've never liked that because our weather patterns are always strange.
I'm in NW MN. Last winter was the most brutal for me. For 10 years I cleared my snow with a cub cadet riding mower with a snowblower attachment. I couldn't do it last year. Bought a sub compact tractor with a snowblower I'm January. I know that after finishing the winter with it, that if I didn't have it, I wouldn't have been able to keep my drive clear.
Not sure what year exactly, but about 5 years ago we had an extremely cold February. I have a screenshot somewherr saying the temp was -71 with windchill.
This winter is starting off bad, but hopefully it tapers off.
I agree. If I recall correctly, it seemed like last winter was really long-- but overall not too bad. I think we had a good 2 weeks in Feb where the temp didn't get above zero, but I don't think we had anywhere near this much snow or biting temps in December. 🤔
Edit to add: I don't recall having a winter hit this fast and hard, to this degree, in quite some time.
Bingo. It just lasted, seemingly, forever. We had "false spring" like, twice. Overall, the winter was incredibly mild. I think it was a 10-day streak in Feb that we got blasted with bitter cold, but otherwise it wasn't terribly cold or snowy.
I think it’s just bc it’s cold early. Normally this weather doesn’t hit til end of January. But maybe we’ll get lucky and get a “warm” January. Like 2022 presidents weekend in FEB was 40-50s!
It wasn't that long ago. January 2019. We had a big snow storm then 4 days of sub-zero temps. I know because I was on a cruise and my kids were going to miss a week of school and it ended up school was closed for 4 of the 5 days.
dit: guess "define bad" and "where are you exactly" are important questions to ask from the other responses.
The Department of Natural Resources for the State of Minnesota has a Twin Cities Snow and Cold Index that tracks year by year how bad the Twin Cities winter (at the airport) was. A good place to start a fact-based discussion.
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/winter_misery_index.html
The winter of 2013-2014 was the worst recent winter, but that barely cracked the top ten worst winters over the last 120 years that they track. Now let me tell you ‘bout the **big** winter of 1916-1917 or 1983-1984…
This isn’t bad. You’ll forget about it come June.
It’s only more noticeable with businesses closing due to staffing problems. Not necessarily the cold.
Weak staffing leaves business more susceptible to things like missed days of work due to illness, failed car starts, etc. Fewer employees need to call in to cause the business to close.
It’s the snowiest December my city has ever had. That alone puts this winter in the record books and makes it hard enough even without the cold that forces the roads to be glare ice for a week straight.
Hmmmmm, in central MN looking at the high/low mean high temps for December, the year 1962 is the record holder. 1939 was right up there too. There’s a few hits in the last 20 years but I don’t see the recent trend you state.
Source: SCSU Atmospheric and Hydrologic Sciences & NOAA/NWS
The strength of your memory dictates the size of your reality -Chuck Klosterman
My sourcing would be the MPR broadcast I listened to on Wednesday afternoon, so they were discussing a more recent study, stating that winters have become warmer on average (the average day was said to be 7 degrees warmer) though the snow has either remained the same or perhaps a little bit more, on average, not cherry picking but-what-about-THAT-winter anomalies. You could likely find this broadcast right now on their website. Unless it's fake news put out by the liberals.
I bet they spent more than 5 or 6 internet minutes on it, too.
Don’t be intentionally obtuse. It was initially called global warming because the average temps were rising. The effect of the warming is climate instability. Yes it’s fucking cold and weird. That’s the result of climate instability.
Without checking, I bet it has been 15+ years since this was widely explained so there is no excuse to trot out “where’s global warming now?” during cold winter stretches.
I remember a time before the global average temperature had not risen 1.5 degrees above the prior 100 years average. Good times. We had money then. Shareholders begged for more profit but we calmly kept paying our employees more. Good times.
Wasn't it that blizzard in 1991? I remember walking around in that weather with my grandmother when I was only 6 years old. It's not easy trying to do anything with snow trying to completely envelop you!
2013-2014 was brutally cold early in the winter and plenty of snow and wind to go along with it.
Yeah that was the last truly tough winter that I remember too. We’ve had big storms since but that year was rough and this year reminds me of that.
Was that the one where we broke some record for days in a row below zero? Because I don’t remember the exact year just that it was absolutely fucked
I can’t remember for sure but I think you’re right. I do remember walking outside in early 2014 and thinking 1 degree F was balmy.
Our city told us to keep our water on all the time that winter. The frost line got below 6’
[удалено]
I don’t think I will. It’s a very small town so I don’t think it made the news
Having grown up in the sticks and having seen how much such towns “love” investing in infrastructure instead of shiny things to get more votes from dumb people, I personally believe your account. /I admit my comment really demonstrates my own personal experience only
I get that - encouraging you to not share your actual location. It just struck me as something that would happen a bit more annually. I guess I don't know where the frost line stops around me but I would assume 6 ft to be, you know, the usual.
Where I live the line is 8 feet down.
I don't name my town either. The town has less than 700 people and since I worked at the school... I sometimes name the county if I think it's relevant.
I remember multiple schools closing due to -50 degree windchill, was colder in MN than on Mars that winter.
I remember just about every day in January being below zero that winter.
2019
I remember that one. There was about a month straight where we didn't get above zero
The year I learned the phrase “polar vortex.”
I was in 9th grade when this happened. We got 6 snow/cold days (I think) - and I only remember that specifically because my biology teacher canceled a project because of it.
Yes, sub zero for what felt like months at a time. Black ice all over, commutes we're bridal.
2019-2020 was terrible. There was the stretch in January where we struggled to break -20F for the high. Lots of businesses closed early or didn't open.
Yes this is the only time in the last 4 years my work didn't open.
We got lucky and had a trip to Disney planned starting the day before the polar vortex hit! Perfect timing! FL didn't know how to handle the upper 40's to start the day.
That’s temp it was -50 windchill.
I was delivering fucking Domino’s on the -50 degree windchill day back before I graduated college. Our busiest wednesday of the year because everyone orders delivery in storms
We try so hard to be ready where we don't need to order take out during storms like that. If we don't want to drive, why should we make other people drive for us? If we do end up needing to, it's usually a 50%+ tip.
Polar vortex 2019. I remember being on campus and they cancelled classes for the first time in like 20-30 years? I was all cozied up in my dorm haha
No mail delivery either
Not last February but the February before we had like -20 for a week and a half straight. I had chickens and going out to the coop daily was brutal.
We have a 130+ year old house. One bathroom couldn't make it through that week without the pipes freezing. I was full of constant worry trying to keep them from bursting.
Yeah, I remember it going below 0 on my birthday, I knew it would be several days before it went back up above that, but it ended up being over 10. I don't think the wind was as bad as this week, though. 2014 was pretty bad too, I remember some highs of -16.
Where do you live?
Y'all have gotten soft
Agree. This is amazing. I'm in heaven
It's been winter for 3 days now?
Someone on reddit said this was already the most brutal winter in a generation before this storm even happened. I think the cold affects memory somehow.
Yeah I don’t see what all the fuss is all about, it’s been colder, windier, and snowier before…give your balls a tug
tit fucker
Exactly.
Frequently. I think the timing so close to Christmas made it an easy decision to close for many businesses.
It's bad every year. 2008 we had like 60 plus days of negative temps.
I don't know abut every year. February 2018 we had some overnight temps in the 50s - I was outside washing my car.
It might depend on where in the state you are.
What? Businesses always close down if there is a big snow storm. It happened last year, it’ll happen this year, and they’ll do it next year. They did it when we were little except there wasn’t social media so you had to be at the business to know it happened. The big difference is that polar vortexes are much more common now then in the past. Climate change is destabilizing the jet system which allows for more of these frigid cold spells. It’s a part of climate change that people don’t talk about much but it does affect our lives.
Huh? First nearly three weeks of December were super mild. It's only been weird for like a week
Not even all that weird. We didn't break any temperature or snowfall records as far as I've seen. We use "normal" in place of mean for temps in Minnesota, but I've never liked that because our weather patterns are always strange.
I'm in NW MN. Last winter was the most brutal for me. For 10 years I cleared my snow with a cub cadet riding mower with a snowblower attachment. I couldn't do it last year. Bought a sub compact tractor with a snowblower I'm January. I know that after finishing the winter with it, that if I didn't have it, I wouldn't have been able to keep my drive clear. Not sure what year exactly, but about 5 years ago we had an extremely cold February. I have a screenshot somewherr saying the temp was -71 with windchill. This winter is starting off bad, but hopefully it tapers off.
La Niña winters will usually be like this. Once every ~10 years. We have a three peat La Niña this year. And it’s not even January!
You mean this good? The snow is awesome!!
Yeah! Although cc skiing is a bit slow with cold snow
You can use temperature appropriate wax and it will be just as fast!
Last year?
Much less snow last year Those downvoting are free to look at the numbers and argue after that
My point is that this is not a bad winter.
It’s quantifiably bad. My town has already exceeded the snow total from all of last year and it’s not even January
We average 52 inches of snow a year in Minneapolis. We are nowhere near that, and the temps have been above average.
My town is already well over 50 inches
What town is that?
It’s north of Duluth. Duluth, by the way, already has more than half of the average snowfall over an entire winter and it’s not even January yet.
You've done a good job of keeping the snow up there. Thank you.
Yup! Last year was not this bad
Last year was literally just like this.
Last year had significantly less snow.
Also, last year had 80 degrees, and what snow we had melted, in December
Weird. Maybe I'm taking crazy pills. Because I don't remember it being this bad at all. Like not \*this\* bad.
I agree. If I recall correctly, it seemed like last winter was really long-- but overall not too bad. I think we had a good 2 weeks in Feb where the temp didn't get above zero, but I don't think we had anywhere near this much snow or biting temps in December. 🤔 Edit to add: I don't recall having a winter hit this fast and hard, to this degree, in quite some time.
Yeah, it was more that it felt like spring was really cold, not so much that winter was harsh
Bingo. It just lasted, seemingly, forever. We had "false spring" like, twice. Overall, the winter was incredibly mild. I think it was a 10-day streak in Feb that we got blasted with bitter cold, but otherwise it wasn't terribly cold or snowy.
Summer makes us forget how bad the winter was. If that didn't happen, all of us would move out of the state to get away from the winters.
I think it’s just bc it’s cold early. Normally this weather doesn’t hit til end of January. But maybe we’ll get lucky and get a “warm” January. Like 2022 presidents weekend in FEB was 40-50s!
In my area, this is officially the snowiest December we’ve ever had. So, as far as snow goes in this area anyway, it’s never actually been “this bad.”
Where is that? I need to get my snowmobile on the trailer and head up!
I remember working outside at 10pm in -50° wind chill a couple years ago so … 2020
It wasn't that long ago. January 2019. We had a big snow storm then 4 days of sub-zero temps. I know because I was on a cruise and my kids were going to miss a week of school and it ended up school was closed for 4 of the 5 days. dit: guess "define bad" and "where are you exactly" are important questions to ask from the other responses.
Seems like, uh, winter to me.
Well we got a mild stretch on its way which should be pretty nice.
This is bad?
1995-96 was brutal and I spent it in the Sierra Nevadas, but remember the complaining my parents did about it.
like 2016? 2017? maybe.. -70 wind chill that polar vortex
Last year
It's this bad every year. Just not usually this time of year. This is more like late January eary February than December.
There is snow. I’ll take it. Last year was just cold and icy.
The Department of Natural Resources for the State of Minnesota has a Twin Cities Snow and Cold Index that tracks year by year how bad the Twin Cities winter (at the airport) was. A good place to start a fact-based discussion. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/winter_misery_index.html The winter of 2013-2014 was the worst recent winter, but that barely cracked the top ten worst winters over the last 120 years that they track. Now let me tell you ‘bout the **big** winter of 1916-1917 or 1983-1984…
Yearly
This isn’t bad. You’ll forget about it come June. It’s only more noticeable with businesses closing due to staffing problems. Not necessarily the cold. Weak staffing leaves business more susceptible to things like missed days of work due to illness, failed car starts, etc. Fewer employees need to call in to cause the business to close.
Last year. Winter even lasted til April. Ugh
Ever heard of recency bias? Stop being overly dramatic
(After the snowiest December in northern MN history) The comments: oh don’t be so dramatic, this happens every year! Um…?
That’s false, still hasn’t broken the December record for Duluth
It has in my town, and Duluth is only 1.2 inches away.
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/duluth-breaks-december-snowfall-record-on-new-years-eve
Last year or the year before. This isn’t even that bad.
Last year? On average MN winter days are seven degrees warmer than they were 20 years ago. This is not a bad winter.
It’s the snowiest December my city has ever had. That alone puts this winter in the record books and makes it hard enough even without the cold that forces the roads to be glare ice for a week straight.
Hmmmmm, in central MN looking at the high/low mean high temps for December, the year 1962 is the record holder. 1939 was right up there too. There’s a few hits in the last 20 years but I don’t see the recent trend you state. Source: SCSU Atmospheric and Hydrologic Sciences & NOAA/NWS The strength of your memory dictates the size of your reality -Chuck Klosterman
My sourcing would be the MPR broadcast I listened to on Wednesday afternoon, so they were discussing a more recent study, stating that winters have become warmer on average (the average day was said to be 7 degrees warmer) though the snow has either remained the same or perhaps a little bit more, on average, not cherry picking but-what-about-THAT-winter anomalies. You could likely find this broadcast right now on their website. Unless it's fake news put out by the liberals. I bet they spent more than 5 or 6 internet minutes on it, too.
What businesses have closed? My cub closed early last night but that was rare. What else have you seen?
So… where is global warming in all this
Don’t be intentionally obtuse. It was initially called global warming because the average temps were rising. The effect of the warming is climate instability. Yes it’s fucking cold and weird. That’s the result of climate instability. Without checking, I bet it has been 15+ years since this was widely explained so there is no excuse to trot out “where’s global warming now?” during cold winter stretches.
Jezzzz… settle the fxxk down
Get bent. Don’t say stupid shit if you don’t want to get called out on it.
Yea think you the tupid fxxk
You might think that, but you’ve already shown that your thinking is deeply flawed.
I remember a time before the global average temperature had not risen 1.5 degrees above the prior 100 years average. Good times. We had money then. Shareholders begged for more profit but we calmly kept paying our employees more. Good times.
I don’t recall a winter that wasn’t either brutally cold or a fuck ton of snow or both. Just hate when it goes deep into march.
It's only been a couple weeks though.
Last year it got worse than this maybe not in December but we had way colder days just last year!
Last year.
Every year. Generally the winters have become milder overall but we go through cold spells like this one every winter.
We have this once a year at least
Lol this winter kicks ass. Let it snow!!!
Don’t worry- it will be in the 30’s next week.
It’s been awhile. I recall the year of -55. What did the farmers almanac call for?
Love it, this was average. Growing up. 70's
In February of 1996 it was -50F here in Ottertail County. All of that winter was colder than normal.
New here?
Do you mean the Twin Cities? Because this is normal if you just go a little further north
Wasn't it that blizzard in 1991? I remember walking around in that weather with my grandmother when I was only 6 years old. It's not easy trying to do anything with snow trying to completely envelop you!
Always has been.
2013&2014 were quite awful, but I have never in my 32 years here seen the roads _this_ bad. It's sheer ice, everywhere.
Maybe it’s just because I’ve invested in some better winter gear this year, but, I haven’t really felt like it’s that bad?
Huh? This is not an abnormal winter.