Minnesota Winter Hits Hard

January 29, 2008 | In Rants | No Comments

I’ve lived in Minnesota for 12 years now, with an extended period of duel citizenship with Iowa, so I’m no stranger to extreme cold weather. From piles of snow to inches of ice, for nearly two decades I’ve seen just about everything one can experience living in the area the movie “Fargo” took place.

Today though was something a little different. The wind chill dropped to levels that according to some estimates I’ve heard has reached -40 degrees or so. Frightening.

I felt it first hand waiting for the gas pump to kick in, $12 of gas never seemed so far away. I ended up stalling in the gas station building, trying to hold onto the last few minutes of warmth before jumping back into the car and driving 30 miles – knowing the heat wouldn’t kick in until I was at my destination.

I’m one to complain about the cold, but rarely the heat. I love hot weather, I’ve talked about this before. And yet, this region is home. I couldn’t imagine, at least at this point, moving into a major metro area on the east or west coast. I won’t say never because I don’t believe in absolute statements, but I will say my personality would have to change.

My camera phone was going to capture a few moments of the cold today, but the thought of holding a semi-metal item in my bare hands just sounded like a bad idea, so I hope this paints the picture for you. I’m still can’t fully feel my lips – it’s that cold.

We’re supposed to see a warm up in the coming days, it can’t come soon enough for me. Only a few more months until we’re hitting the 90s again. I can’t wait.