"It's Minnesota": Saturday's temps more January than November
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Saturday's high temperature of 18 degrees is typical for mid-November – as a low, not a high.
The temperatures are the coldest in the Twin Cities since February and are more typical of a January weekend than one before Thanksgiving.
"It's brisk, yes," said Jason Schmidt of St. Louis Park. "I don't know if I was quite ready for winter to start as early as it did, but as least the sun's out, that's a nice change."
Schmidt was one of a half dozen people letting their dogs roam free at Bryant Lake Off-Leash Park Saturday morning.
"[My dog] doesn't like wind that much, so we're a little cautious about wind chill, and trying to make sure if we're outside, we're in a sheltered area," he said. "Hopefully it does not get worse, at least in the immediate future."
At the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, veterinarian Dr. Angelica Dimock says they typically see close to 10 animal frostbite cases each year.
"What frostbite looks like is black skin and then eventually, that skin will sluff off and fall off," she said.
Dimock recommends keeping an eye on your animal and looking for warning signs they could be getting cold.
"Overall, these guys will usually tell us if they're cold or not," Mike Virnig of St. Louis Park said of his dogs Xena and Ollie. "They'll start lifting their paws up, or they poke their head outside and say, 'Eh, it's a little too cold for me' and then go back inside."
"It's Minnesota. You gotta enjoy it," Virnig said. "It's one of those things where you choose to live here, you've got to embrace the cold weather, get out and enjoy it."
