January 1 2014 was reported to be cold with a chance of snow, in Minneapolis. The real weather was dry, with extremely low temperatures, never hitting above 3 degrees on both January 1 and January 2 2014. The weather was a real struggle for everyone, especially for the poor residents on Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis, who lost their business and homes to a fire caused by an explosion. The area is famous for showcasing Bob Dylan during his early song stage performances, and return trips from NYC, back to Minnesota, during the late sixties and early 1970s. Now, and as always, the area is famous for welcoming immigrant populations to our city and state, and is called 7 corners to many of the university of Minnesota Student Populations.
Although January is often cold, the weather has been ridiculous. Many long time Minnesotans are saying that this reminds them of the weather they remember from many years ago, as our winters over the last 10 years have been very mild. True, we have experienced below zero temperatures every winter, and snowfall to tire out most hearty souls, but many people in Minnesota have a fun way of remembering the cold weather with a kind of certain fondness. Crazy souls who love a challenge, that is the mid-western way.
Farmer’s Almanac is Wrong for January 1 2014
Prediction was for the following: “1-5 Snowstorm, then flurries east; snow showers, then sunny frigid west.” -The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 222nd Anniversary Edition.
The “1-5” is the January 1 thru January 5 period of time, and there was no recorded snowstorm, then flurries. Part of the prediction, as it is five days long, could be read as accurate, as Snow showers may happen on January 3rd, in the evening. The “Sunny Frigid West” part could be called in as true, but this random prediction is very flaky in my opinion. We have a windy day coming on January 3, 2014 with measurable snow in the evening. Warm temperatures of 19 degrees are predicted as of the writing.
Will the coldest recorded temperature of 45 degrees below zero count as a part of this prediction? With upper parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan being overwhelmed with metal crushing cold over the last two days, this is surely something that should have been in the prediction from the farmer’s almanac. There is nothing noted for the region in mention of these record crushing temperatures, which is almost a safety risk. Former and past predictions surely are not going to endure with advances of thermal and wind predictive models in new weather technology.
January 1 2014 gave way to Extreme Cold in January 2 2014
Northern Minnesota is recording the coldest temperatures since 1996, in February. This lapse in judgement from the predictions of the old predictive models, is certainly very worrisome, as people could have thought that this cold snap was not coming. Often times, a warm day, like on December 28th, can fool even the most experienced mid westerners to think that winter is just not that bad or dangerous. This kind of weather can ensure you lose a limb if you do not take it seriously.
January 1 2014 should go down as the coldest New Years Day in a Decade
Looking ahead to January 5, the coldest weather is to come. The prediction by the Farmer’s Almanac does not predict this dangerous change, and in fact, we should see a few days of below zero temperatures for over 5 continued days. Expect water mains to break, flooding to occur, and dangerous driving conditions to continue. Being in a snap of cold weather like this one, which began on January 1 2014 will be sure to impress those who are new to our dangerous weather.