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Twin Cities Residents Find Ways To Enjoy Warm Weather

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- They are sights you would normally see on April 10, not Jan. 10: Students at the University of Minnesota were walking around in short sleeves on Tuesday. Golfers were playing through brown grass and around white, snow-filled sand traps. The Blessed Trinity youth basketball team in Richfield even practiced outside Tuesday.

"I can't remember a winter like this in my 23 years," said Ben Ellenbecker.

"Not in my 33 years of living in Minnesota and North Dakota have I seen a winter like this. Never," said Tara Hallberg.

The Twin Cities hit a record high of 52 degrees on Tuesday. That was warmer than Midland, Texas.

"I was saying earlier that this is Minnesota's attempt for me to hate it less and it's starting to work," said Lindsay Swanson. She works at Moto-I, a sake brewery and restaurant in Uptown Minneapolis.

In the span of just a few hours they decided to move around some tables and benches, throw down some salt on what little snow and ice remains and open up the rooftop.

"Only in Minnesota will you find people out Jan. 10 trying to enjoy 50 degree weather and enjoying a cocktail out on the patio," said customer Chris Frean.

For many it beats shoveling your car out of a couple feet of snow, which was the norm last winter.

Instead a lot of people took advantage and washed their cars on Tuesday, including Evershed Mattingly. He called this weather "eerie," like something much different is on the horizon.

"I have a feeling Mother Nature is up to her old tricks and pretty soon we will be sitting by the fireplace with all our layers on," said Mattingly.

Just 12 months ago to the day, we only hit a high of 22 degrees. It snowed an inch-and-a-half. On Tuesday we reached a record 52 degrees and no snow in sight.

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