Yeah, yeah, we know. It's cold here. It snows. Winters are long.
But, does Minnesota really have the most miserable winter in the country? Worse than Alaska? More awful than Maine? Michigan? Wisconsin? North Dakota? I mean, there are barely trees to stop the winds in North Dakota. We can't be worse off than them, can we? According the website Thrillist, you betcha! Honestly, after the last couple of weeks, it's hard to argue. 50 below is downright miserable.
RELATED: Snow coming Tuesday and again on Wednesday.
According to Thrillist, "How can you remain so upbeat when you get all the winter weather patterns? Alberta clippers? Sure. Panhandle hooks? You betcha! Parts of northern Minnesota see up to 170 inches of snow in a winter. One hundred seventy inches! That’s like two and a half times the height of Kent Hrbek!! It can get down to -60 degrees, a temperature at which frostbite can occur in fewer than five minutes. There are no chinook winds or moderating oceans to temper things outside of a small area by Lake Superior. Your sports teams never win championships. All of your good high school hockey players end up starring for NHL teams in other cities. Ice fishing can’t be that cool, really."
OK, the championships dig is uncalled for. We do have two World Series wins, a bunch of NBA titles (when Sid was young, granted), WNBA Championships and don't forget our Gopher Hockey wins! At least they know who Kent Hrbek is.
Thrillist adds, "We think beneath that eternal Nordic happiness is some inner pain, trapped below the surface like a Grain Belt dropped into an ice fishing hole, a cauldron of hot anger ready to spill out like a cut-open Jucy Lucy."
Well, it is true. We might not wear our true emotions on our sleeves here in the Bold North. Ask Uncle Elmer how he's feeling, and you're liable to get a dirty look.
For the record, the other miserable winters belong to Michigan (#2), Alaska (#3), North Dakota (#4) and Maine (#5). The best places to be? Shockingly, it's Hawaii (#50), Arizona (#49) and California (#48). Somehow, Colorado (#47) gets credit for their winters. Must be all about the skiing? At least we have Lutsen. What does North Dakota have?
Jump on Facebook or Twitter and let us know if our winters are really the most miserable. In the meantime, visit Thrillist to see why they rank states where they do!
