When you find out you\u2019re moving to Minot, the first thing you wonder about is the cold. When you move to Minot the first thing you\u2019ll think about is the cold. When you tell someone you live in Minot, the first thing they ask about is the cold.
Yes, there\u2019s more to North Dakota than cold winters \u2013 but we\u2019re kidding ourselves if we claim our winters aren\u2019t exceptional. Subzero temperatures and arctic wind chills are easy small talk topics. And if conversation ever stalls, you can always rely on that trusty saying, \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be so bad if it wasn\u2019t windy.\u201d On second thought, if conversation stalls, just say something about \u201cthe wind\u201d and you\u2019ll be back on track shortly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All this to say, folks have a lot of presuppositions about the cold before they experience a Minot winter. Before my first winter I was sure I\u2019d wear my heaviest coat every day. I was sure I\u2019d need to stock up on hats, gloves and a warmer indoor wardrobe. I, like many other transplants, have spent copious time in Facebook groups asking about the best winter gear and reading boot reviews online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then something magical happens. Winter comes \u2013 and while no one ever really gets used to a -30\u02da windchill, most people don\u2019t think about it nearly as much as they expected. Cold temperatures are a funny and fluctuating thing in hot dish territory. When summer finally gives way to fall, allowing temperatures to dip into the 30s for the first time, the whole town grumbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heavy parkas come out. Wool socks and hats appear. Chatter shifts from noting the humidity (which doesn\u2019t actually exist) to bemoaning the frost and discussions of Almanac predictions for the months to come. Then after a few weeks, those 30\u02da days feel balmy, the perfect temperature to break out your ankle cropped jeans. Coats are reserved for really cold days \u2013 with highs in the teens. But winter is long in Minot. Soon even those temperatures don\u2019t feel so bad. So you save your heavy coat for the really, really cold days. This cycle continues until you find yourself wearing a sweatshirt to preschool drop off on a morning with a -35\u02da windchill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know this is true, because it happens to me every year. I know this is true, because it\u2019s not just me. I see other moms shuffling well-bundled kids across parking lots and scuttling from car to door \u2013 I see them wearing their fleece pullovers. I see them all winter long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is it laziness? Is it that the novelty of a heavy coat wears off as the cold months drag on? Is it the discomfort of driving in a parka? Or that if you wear a coat to Target, you\u2019ll just want to take it off as soon as you\u2019re inside? My reason is that I\u2019m usually sweaty, cranky and running late by the time I\u2019ve got my kids bundled up. I\u2019m so eager to get going I don\u2019t bother with anything heavier than a small puffer jacket. Then I justify my decision by thinking, \u201cI\u2019m only going from the house to the car, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whatever the reason, it happens. Even to those who swear it never will.
Then, one happy day, the thermometer will read 45\u02da. We all \u2013 locals and transplants alike \u2013 go out and bask in the sun, declaring it \u201cT-shirt weather.\u201d A few weeks later, when the high is 60\u02da, you can find me upending my drawers to find a tank top \u2013 summer has arrived!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Up here, cold is relative. The definition of \u201ccold\u201d is constantly shifting. We all acclimate. Even the transplants.
So here\u2019s some friendly advice. Buy the good winter gear, but know it may hang in your closet unused, acting as a security blanket. It\u2019ll be nice to know you could wear it \u2013 if you wanted. It\u2019ll be nice to have it for playing in the snow or skiing. But your favorite winter coat will be the one that is light and comfortable. It\u2019ll be the one you zip up on that first frosty morning in October. It\u2019ll be the one you wear through all the cold days until the grass starts to grow again in the spring. If you have that jacket, glove liners, and a couple good sweatshirts, you\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just give it a little time. Give it a chance. No matter where you come from, in time you too, will justify wearing only a sherpa sweatshirt to preschool drop off with the logic, \u201cI\u2019ll only be out of the car for a second or two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you find out you\u2019re moving to Minot, the first thing you wonder about is the cold. When you move to Minot the first thing you\u2019ll think about is the cold. When you tell someone you live in Minot, the first thing they ask about is the cold.Yes, there\u2019s more to North Dakota than cold […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[192],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5624,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5573\/revisions\/5624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/northernsentry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Do you have an observation that is uniquely Dakotan or Minot? I\u2019d love to hear from you. Reach me on Instagram @amy_allender or by email at amyallender@gmail.com.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"