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MPR News Staff

What's our current 'Winter Misery Index'?

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Scarecrows in a garden wear snow shrouds.
Scarecrows in a garden wear the approximately five inches of snow that fell overnight in late December in Minneapolis.
David Joles | Star Tribune via AP

Minnesota's winter got off to a mild start, but the recent string of subzero temperatures was a cold and cruel awakening for many across the state.

A few years ago, Pete Boulay came up with a method to measure just how harsh winters in the Twin Cities are. Boulay, a state climatologist, developed the "Winter Misery Index," which ranks modern winters against winters of years past.

To date, this winter is a 21 on that index, Boulay told MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner. That's 15 points for the cold and 6 for snow, Boulay explained.

"If winter ended today, we'd have the second or third easiest winter on record," Boulay said. Those cursing the cold should relish the season's late start. "We really didn't have winter until after Christmas, for the most part."

By comparison, the Twin Cities winter of 2013 to 2014 hit 207 points — the ninth most severe winter on record, according to Boulay's analysis. Last winter ended with just 55 points.

To hear the full discussion with meteorologist Paul Huttner and climatologists Pete Boulay and Mark Seeley, use the audio player above. The three "weather heads" discuss the forthcoming East Coast storm and Minnesota's winter to date.