Five Things That Happen On a Windy Day in Rochester, Minnesota

Thursday's blustery conditions sure were fun, weren't they? Forgot Chicago, Rochester, Minnesota should be called the Windy City! Here are five things I noticed about yesterday's wind.

1) It'll blow your garbage cans all over the place. Thursday is trash pick-up day in our neck of the woods and I noticed our garbage hauler, who normally stays in the truck and operates the hydraulic 'claw' which grabs the container and empties it into the truck, had to get out and pick up each can that had blown over before climbing back in the truck and emptying the container. That couldn't have been fun. Plus, retrieving your empty container from your neighbors yard after the wind has blown it there is always a good time, too.

2) It'll blow your hat off your head. Despite repeated warnings to "Hold on to your hat!" I noticed one gentleman chasing his Minnesota Wild cap clear across the parking lot next to the station yesterday. Thanks, wind!

3) It'll blow your jacket open. This same gentleman, while chasing his Wild cap across the parking lot next to the station, had his coat (which wasn't buttoned up) blow open, too. That's always nice and toasty on a windy day!

4) It makes it seem much colder than it actually is. That darn Wind Chill really does factor into things. Yesterday afternoon, while the air temperature was 34 degrees (which isn't all that warm to begin with) the wind was whipping out of the WSW at around 25 miles per hour, which, according to the National Weather Service, says it seemed more like it was only 21 degrees. Balmy!

And the only good thing about a windy day in southeast Minnesota? 5) It'll blow those leaves you didn't rake right into your neighbor's yard! (Unless, of course, YOUR yard is the one where all your neighbor's leaves landed.)