We all know what spring looks like according to our elementary school teachers-- April showers bring May flowers. However, this is not always true in Minnesota. Here, we have about three months of summer, one month of fall, seven months of winter, and one month of wpring. Spring is by far the hardest season to recognize in Minnesota, but here are some tell-tale signs that spring has sprung.
1. No matter the temperature outside, guys will start to wear shorts.
It doesn't matter if it is basketball shorts or khakis, as soon as the sun is out, so are the thighs. This might seem absurd to other states because lets face it, having sunlight does not mean it's warm outside. But you see, during winter the temperatures get below zero, so anything above freezing seems incredibly hot.
2. Snow becomes sleet, and occasionally rain.
Yes, it still kind of snows in Minnesota in spring. One day it will be raining, and the next we will have to turn on our defrosters again. But, we start to see snow less and less. Good riddance-- seven months of snow is too many anyway.
3. The temperature is finally above freezing.
After months in the frozen tundra, Minnesota becomes a little less frozen. We may only get up to 50 degrees in the spring, but we will take what ever we can get.
4. There's always one guy that takes his boat out as soon as the water thaws.
In Minnesota, if there's no ice, lakes are fair game. Some people do the polar plunge while others take our their kayaks. But, there is always one guy that thinks it is a good idea to launch his boat as soon as the ice is gone. Most rational people wait until the end of Spring, but some people get over-excited early on. So, there is always that one boat that is sitting in the middle of a lake. The people on it don't have on swimsuits, but instead sport wet suits and sweaters. I'm not saying it is tootling weather, but anything goes in spring.
5. Expect radical changes in the weather.
Minnesota cannot make up it's mind. One week we will have sunny, clear skies with a high in the mid fifties, and another week we will have sleet with a wind chill cold enough to make the temp drop back down to the mid thirties. The weather is extremely unpredictable, and most times random, but we stay hopeful that it will improve soon.
6. Free cone day at Ben and Jerry's
If you didn't think Minnesota was cold enough, try adding ice cream to the mix. Ben and Jerry's has a line wrapped around the block for their free cone day flavors every spring. They say to only get one cone, but we know this isn't realistic. If you are sly enough, you can hop back in line and get as much free ice cream as you like, but only if you are patient enough to wait.
Spring may be hard to recognize, but it still can be found in Minnesota if you look carefully enough.
