Patio Season: 'Like Fishing Opener, But For Beer'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – After two sloppy snowstorms walloped Minnesota this month, spring finally arrived on Friday.

Across the state, temperatures climbed as high as 72 degrees, melting snow that had fallen earlier in the week and prompting restaurant patios to open to flocks of patrons.

"It's the opening of patio season – you've got to go out," said one man in downtown Minneapolis. "It's like fishing opener, but for beer."

And just as patios on Nicollet Mall were packed, so were ballparks, basketball courts and bike trails across the city. Minnesotans hadn't felt such warm weather since October.

Check out some of the scenes our cameras captured Friday in the video above.