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Nancy Yang

Good news, Twin Cities: Only a mildly miserable winter so far

A snowplow inside Fort Snelling National Cemetery
A snowplow clears the roads inside the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Evan Frost | MPR News

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We've already lived through a brutal deep freeze this winter (psst: another cold spell is on the way) and this week may end up being the most challenging of the season for commuters because of back-to-back rush-hour snowfall. So surely that means we've had a pretty bad winter so far, right?

Actually, no. It's been "mild."

That's according to the Twin Cities Winter Misery Index, compiled by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Climatology Office.

The Twin Cities Winter Misery Index
The Twin Cities Winter Misery Index.
Courtesy of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources State Climatology Office

As of Tuesday (the first posting of the season), the index rates the 2016-17 winter at just 41 points (19 for cold, 22 points for snow).

For reference, anything 55-150 is "moderate," while 151-221 points is "severe." A winter with more than 222 points means the end of the world — er, "very severe."

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

By comparison, the winter of 2013-14 racked up 207 points, making it the ninth most severe winter on record based on the index.

The winner (or loser, depending on your perspective)? The frozen winter of 1916-17, with its 305 points of misery.