Central Minnesota: Cold and Getting Colder

It’s a cold night, here in central Minnesota.

We’re living with an “Extreme Cold Warning in effect from February 17, 09:00 PM CST until February 18, 10:00 AM CST” and “Extreme Cold Warning in effect from February 17, 09:00 PM CST until February 18, 10:00 AM CST”

I checked the National Weather Service’s website: it’s -17°F, -27°C, at Sauk Centre Municipal Airport. It’s a few minutes before 10:00 p.m., I don’t know how often those numbers get updated.

We’re headed for an overnight low of -30°F, with a windchill of -48°F.

I’ll be very glad to stay inside for the rest of the week —

— and glad that the household’s van started this afternoon. I had a prescription to pick up, and a slightly-routine medical check at the clinic. The latter had already been postponed once, when the van flat-out refused to leave the garage.

The weather is colder than usual for this time of year. But I doubt that we’re setting any records.

One of the things I like about living in Minnesota is that our weather isn’t boring. It does, however, encourage a certain degree of situational awareness.

That’s it: nothing profound, just talking about the weather, mostly. Which is part of the culture up here. It’s partly small talk, partly sharing information about what to be aware of.