A column about the weather without any of the whining …
What the heck was that?
Didn’t we have a snowstorm on April 1? And the next day it was 50 degrees?
Didn’t we just have a snowpack on the ground in many places? And now we have none?
Did we just go from winter to summer in one day? Did we really hit our first 60 degree day of 2023, then our first 70 degree day, then our first 80 degree day – and dang near our first 90 degree day of 2023 – all in one week’s time?
I know, I know. There are many folks who say it is due to Climate Change and Global Warming, and we should all hate Climate Change and Global Warming and what it is doing to our planet and the future of our planet.
But it is hard to hate something that brings 80 degree weather to frozen Minnesota in April.
Of course, here in the frozen North Star State, we all just smile and say, “Well, that’s Minnesota for you!”
We are sort of used to weather changes in this state. We can have hot summers and frozen cold winters. And, our weather can change on a dime. A friend of mine always says that if you don’t like the weather in Minnesota, wait five minutes, and it will change.
Well the truth is, that in one week’s time we can see a variety of weather, any time of the year. And that has been happening for a long time.
I remember my move to this state back in 1968. My first day here was the day Tracy, Minnesota was destroyed by a tornado in June of that year. My first winter here, in 1968-69, there was a ton of snow and I was surprised it stayed all winter. It just kept snowing and getting piled up higher and deeper. You could practically walk up the snow banks to the second story of our dorm building.
All of that snow, of course, translated into flooding along the Minnesota River in Mankato, and we college students got out of class to go to North Mankato and fill and stack sand bags right in the middle of flooded streets.
The river flooded all the way to Shakopee and Bloomington.
Welcome to Minnesota, my friends told me. Only we called it Minne-snow-ta all the time.
By the time you read this column, our 80 degree days will be behind us, and we will probably be back to some much chillier temps. The high on Friday was still going to be in the mid-80s, but the highs on Saturday and Sunday were expected to be in the 40s, with, of course, a chance of snow on Sunday.
But that nice warm weather was sure nice while it lasted.
We got to wear shorts and T-shirts and sandals. The high school spring sports teams were finally able to be outside to play golf, baseball, tennis, softball and run track events. And, they did it in shorts and shortsleeved shirts.
There has been many an April in Minnesota where we are taking pictures at the first golf meets of the year and the kids are bundled up in winter jackets, ski caps and gloves.
Not that that couldn’t still happen. I sure don’t want to jinx anything, but this is Minnesota and June is still a ways off.
I remember 50 years ago when it snowed heavily in late April right before our wedding in Rochester. And I remember just a few years ago here in Blue Earth when it snowed a foot on May 1, May Day. Yes, really. A foot of snow. In May.
That’s Minne-snow-ta for you.
You probably have a lot of your own examples of Minnesota weather. After all, we do get weather here. And by weather, I mean some pleasant days, but also a whole lot of snowstorms, thunderstorms, wind storms, hail storms, tornadoes, and well, you get the general idea.
But, we are not alone, it seems.
This past year or so, it seems as though the whole U.S. is getting a lot of weather, and not all of it good. Devastating storms have hit the East and West Coasts, the Southern states, and, of course, the Midwest as well.
Is it all due to Global Warming and Climate Change? Or is it just the same old stormy weather we have always had, with some years just worse than others? I will let others debate that issue.
For now we can just be thankful we had a few really nice, warm days in Minnesota, after a pretty long, cold, snowy, hard winter.
To be honest, it felt pretty darn nice. I know I have whined about the weather quite often in this column over the years. So I guess it is about time I give it some praise when we get some nice, beautiful days.
I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy them.