April 12 Record Set! Temps Reach 87, Local Retailers Adjust
It was just two weeks ago when the April Fool’s Day snowstorm dumped a winter-like wallop on the northwest suburbs with some parts getting close to a foot of snow. Then the weather switched quickly.
On April 12, temperatures reached 87 degrees, a record for the northwest suburbs, according to Steve Reckers, a weather historian who reports data to the National Weather Service from his home in New Hope.
There remains traces of our long winter. On Medicine Lake there’s still some ice.
But that didn’t deter Minnesotans from taking full advantage of warmer temps on Wednesday.
People enjoying summer-like temperatures on Medicine Lake.
From sunbathing, to running to kayaking, people are looking to put the long winter behind them.
The Dairy Queen in Robbinsdale was a popular place to cool off.
“I got cherry dillys,” said Carol Olson.
“I got an Oreo blizzard,” said Tyler Perkins.
Ice cream isn’t the only thing people have on their minds.
The warmer temps also have people thinking about grilling outdoors. The Birdtown Backyard by Welna Ace Hardware is getting ready to open its doors to shoppers.
“People are very excited to head outside and get in the dirt, get in their grill, get the grill fired up for the season,” said store manager Bryan Dawson.
Dawson says the store’s new amenity is eager to open and capitalize on the grilling-like weather.
“We’ve been working on this building for almost a year now and we’re super excited to be able to open soon,” said Dawson.
You might not want to do much grilling this weekend though.
“Spring is a reluctant visitor to Minnesota, you’ll get days like this and then it will turn,” explained Reckers, who has weather data specifically for the northwest suburbs tracing back to the 1950s.
Weather expert Steve Reckers at his weather station.
The forecast next week calls for 50-degree temperatures. But for now, the weather is glorious.
“Got to take advantage of it,” said Perkins.
Steve Reckers says the warmup shouldn’t increase flooding concerns in our area, since much of our snow has been melting gradually.
The Birdtown Backyard by Welna Ace Hardware plans to open in June.
