Families Take Advantage Of Indoor Playgrounds After Cold Causes School Closings

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A sunny ski hill at Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Minneapolis looked pretty on a day like Thursday, but it was too cold for anyone to brave their way down. Instead, there were plenty of kids and adults escaping the cold inside.

The Brookview Backyard playground in Golden Valley was a popular place to be for parents to bring their toddlers safe from the cold.

"The fact that they can run around inside and we don't have to be in there with them it's pretty much free reign," Jessie Bollig, from Plymouth, said.

Schools across the state were delayed or closed down Thursday because of the arctic blast. But not the University of Minnesota, where students were dressed in layers taking a bit quicker of a walk on their way to classes.

"My legs are numb, my face is numb, my whole body is numb," one student said.

Highs across the state would reach only into the single digits Thursday, but the cold snap will still be short-lived. Temperatures are expected to climb back above zero Friday.

As of 2:00 p.m. Friday, HCMC said they had around half a dozen patients with weather-related injuries. Frostbite in these types of sub-zero temperatures can set in within minutes.