Minnesotans brave the outdoors on frigid New Year's Day

EXCELSIOR, Minn. (FOX 9) - No matter how cold it is outside, you'll always find hearty Minnesotans trying to enjoy the outdoors. It was no different for the cold start to the New Year.

With an air temperature at zero and a wind chill at minus 15, 2019 began in Excelsior with hundreds taking a morning plunge into Lake Minnetonka.The ALARC Ice Dive benefits veterans. This year, the event just happened to fall during a one-day cold snap.

But those at Lake Minnetonka were far from the only people out embracing the cold weather. A few hours later, the cross country course at Wirth Park in Minneapolis was experiencing its own healthy start to 2019.

This frigid cold isn’t expected to last with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees over the weekend