Workers Brave The Extreme Cold In The Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's by far the coldest day of the season and it's only a taste of what we can expect this week.

At the Wells Fargo Winter Skate at Landmark Center, the rink actually closed down because of the cold. Unfortunately, some workers weren't as lucky on this holiday.

Instead of staying in by the fire, they were working outside on the coldest day we've had in more than four years.

The extreme cold did not freeze up demand at Jimmy John's today -- in fact the drop in mercury, increased delivery requests.

So employee bicyclists hit the streets to deliver subs in sub-zero temperatures.

"It's our job, we're here everyday, just trying to make sure people can get their sandwiches, cause if we don't want to be out in the cold, we know nobody else does for sure," said Jenna Robson.

But extreme cold can present roadblocks to getting the job done, like a broken bike chain.

"This bike has been totally good for me all season and in seasons past I haven't had any problems but I guess today, it just kinda hit that point, the breaking point I guess," she said.

Negative 30 degree windchills can also add interesting physical impacts to a work day.

Freezing is what workers want to avoid therefore constructing the day's wardrobe is as crucial as the construction work itself.

"Layers on top of layers so hands, feet, face mask, you name it so ya know just being smart about it," said Clint Milner, of Olympic Companies. "I'm like sweating and freezing at the same time, I don't know what to do."

And a little warm-up break indoors can help workers skate through eight hours of icy cold -- so can a sense of humor.

"If you're too cold, you go on in, warm up and go back at it," he said.