http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/281478/

Is the weather coming next week really that unusual for Minnesota? The article discusses some logistical issues, but I would have thought that Minnesotans would be able to handle that. One person said it would be in the -40F, and that would be for 80 hours.

I come from a warmer climate and with our increase risk-adverse society I am having difficulty determining if this is a knee jerk reaction, or the weather really is that bad for Minnesota.

a school closing related incident most don't consider, beside the transportation liability, is at least in the county I worked, that the school be closed if the toilets don't work... -40F sounds like a good way to burst some pipes..

Good point. I know that frostbite is a concern. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/images/windchill.gif -40F is frostbite in 10 minutes. Yikes.

I'll wager that Minnesotans are better judges of their local conditions than anyone else. Correspondingly, I wouldn't expect someone in Minneapolis to tell me when to go to the beach

What's this? Are you suggesting you would take the word of mere locals, over the advice of our world wide panel of experts?

I'm shocked...shocked I say!

"modern times" have made the extreme cold much better to handle.
i moved here in 1969 to finish college in one of the coldest spots in the state,Bemidji.car starting involved taking the air cleaner off and blasting starter fluid,ether,in the carb and with a jump and some luck it would start.if you were lucky you might live someplace where you could plug in a block heater.in the 80's i did that at home plus throwing a tarp over the hood with a big light bulb helped.
now my old canoe hauling car,92 plymouth, with a modern battery and fuel injection has never failed to start.
most everyone has a parka and boots.to take the trash out to the alley tonight i had to put on boots,gloves and a hoodie for the minute or so i was out.


this is a "not joking" shot of what it takes to walk the dogs.
ice fishing boots,lined pants,snow boarding pull overs,shirt,hoodie,north slope parks,ski mask,very big mitts..
the dogs get mushers wax on their paws..
the driving is the hard part which is why i have a kits in the cars to keep warm until the tow arrives,which could be hours.
cell phones making driving nothing like it was years ago when you could be away from town and need help.
but it's all where you live.i was in Tempe AZ to visit my daughter and it was 100 something and i did a "how can you live here" rant..dad we have AC---

We got to 42 below last night, with blowing snow, and I can assure you that it's nasty cold. My Jeep didn't want to start, the roads were a mess, and still were this morning.

Transportation, power and water issues, not to mention plain old hypothermia and frostbite aside, as a parent, I appreciate having a heads up on a school closure, so I can arrange my child care. My son walks to school so I'd likely keep him home in those temps anyway, but knowing ahead of time that he'll be home is helpful.

bac pac...you know we always say.."ya but those folks up in Canada".....and for the weather guy it's.."coming down from Canada"
many years ago i visited a buddy who was working in La Ronge,it was 57F below zero!!!

I think it's partially cultural.

I'm a lifelong Minnesota resident. When I was a kid, we walked a half mile, stood by the road, and then eventually got picked up by the school janitor in an old painters van for the 15 mile ride in to school. Eight hours later, he would deposit us back at the same spot.

Even though weather patterns were a lot colder and snowier on average back then, as kids, we were a lot more outdoor oriented. We already had the protective clothing needed to withstand an arctic blast...like Canoedogs outfit only smaller. You didn't leave the house without buckle boots, scarf, hat, parka, and a set of 'choppers'. Girls wore sweaters, boots and leggings under their skirts, and carried their shoes. I still remember the daily mayhem at school of 'suiting up' for recess and then to go home. No school was complete without a couple of bushel baskets full of lost mittens.

I drive by a highschool every day, and I see kids walking that are woefully under dressed for the weather; in shorts, windbreakers or hoodies, and flimsy shoes.

Not only do they not have the needed heavy clothes, I doubt if they would wear them if they did.

Okay, sounds like things have changed, but it's so cold it's an abundance of caution thing.

That whole "colder on Mars" gave me the visual of everyone in Minnesota and Canada wearing space suits!