The heart of winter is behind us

KMSP, Minneapolis - Winter in the Upper Midwest can definitely seem like the dark ages. The lack of sunshine, combined with bitter cold, is a recipe for disaster when it comes to our positive attitudes. There are a few rays of hope as we make our way through the heart of winter.

COLDEST DAYS ARE BEHIND US

The average high and low in the Twin Cities bottoms out at 23° and 7° respectively.  This week, January 19th to be exact, we start getting warmer! It may only be a degree or two, but just the fact that we are climatologically warming up is just the mental boost we need this time of year.

DAYS ARE GETTING BRIGHTER

Yes, you heard me right! The Twin Cities hit its 5:00 PM sunset on January 17th. Since that seasonal threshold, we have seen each day get about 2 minutes brighter between sunrise and sunset. Daylight Savings Time will begin on March 13 and our sunset time will magically leap to 7:17 in the evening with dusk hanging around until a quarter of eight.

IT’S EL NINO

Yes, we just had a frigid week of cold but it was to be expected. In fact, our latest arctic blast was about a month late. We normally hit 0° or colder by December 8! It’s only a month, but its a month out of winter, a season that already has too many months. In El Nino years, winter on average is milder and less snowy.

I’m not saying it will never get cold again nor am I saying that it will never snow again; I’m just saying that climatologically speaking, we are over the hump.