Minnesotans are used to hearing the Land of 10,000 Lakes is cold in the winter, but not in July.
Out-of-towners and national media outlets were griping about the cold during Monday’s Home Run Derby. It was 19 degrees cooler than the average temperature for mid-July, KARE 11 reports, which set a record for the coldest high on July 14.
Cold day in July stats…yuck! pic.twitter.com/0iUzl99QKD
— WCCO NEXT Weather (@wccoweather) July 14, 2014
WCCO reports the seven retail shops set up in downtown Minneapolis to sell All-Star Game apparel were sold out of sweatshirts and blankets by lunchtime Monday because many fans didn’t pack the proper attire.
By Monday night it was raining at Target Field, which delayed the start of the derby and gave people plenty of time to share their opinions about Minnesota’s weather.
What the rain delay looks like from the concourse at Target Field pic.twitter.com/is8Hja9TSS
— KARE 11 (@kare11) July 15, 2014
By the time the derby started, it was about 60 degrees in the Twin Cities, and people were bundled up in their seats.
Welcome to summer in #Minnesota 59 degrees. Still smiling. Now where is the hot chocolate vendor?! #asg #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/XAY1YRM94D
— Annette Albrecht (@annettealbrecht) July 15, 2014
The weather was the focus of several national news broadcasts Monday.
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Even Minnesotans joked about the weather:
https://twitter.com/CurseofPunto/status/488846673456541696https://twitter.com/Sam_Peterson95/status/488839563066875904https://twitter.com/Therealkrayven/status/489006692068122624
And this upstate New York reporter:
It's July 14th and people in Minnesota still look cold.
— Chris Watson (@WatsonSports) July 15, 2014
A Texas fan watching the derby has been scared from ever visiting Minnesota:
https://twitter.com/kristipotter/status/488880366870994946
Phil Mackey, who works with ESPN Radio in the Twin Cities, also poked fun at the weather:
It's just so "Minnesota sports" that we try to show off this amazing ballpark one time and we get historically bad weather for mid-July.
— Phil Mackey 🎙 (@PhilMackey) July 15, 2014
He was also among the many to make it a point to mention the lack of retractable roof on the ballpark.
OK, yeah. We probably should have put a roof on it.
— Phil Mackey 🎙 (@PhilMackey) July 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/KreuzersKorner/status/488838696569827329
Others tweeted out that Minnesota will never get the All-Star Game again because it’s too cold year round, while some brought up the Super Bowl set for Minneapolis in 2018 – but the stadium will have a roof:
It's cold and rainy at Target Field. Hope the weather isn't this bad when the Super Bowl comes to Minnesota in a few years. #ASG
— Guy N. Limbeck (@PBglimbeck) July 14, 2014
While some Minnesotans took to Twitter to try and convince those in town – and watching the Home Run Derby from home – that it’s not usually this cold in the summer.
Rain and cold at Target Field for the @AllStarGame. I promise you our summers aren't normally like this! #Minnesota is Bipolar! #ASG #MLB
— Elizabeth Nemmers (@Liz_Nemmers) July 15, 2014
Former KARE 11 meteorologist Jarrid Sebesta, who’s known for his #BlameJerrid hashtag on Twitter when Minnesota’s weather is less than ideal, put it into perspective.
https://twitter.com/jerridsebesta/status/488839055455424512
And some fans weren’t complaining.
Gene tells me this is the appropriate attire for this chilly Home Run Derby. He tells me this is perfect weather! pic.twitter.com/VrTBkZEVii
— Belinda Jensen (@BelindaKARE11) July 14, 2014
https://twitter.com/avialljr/status/488918094812053504
Fans may have been poking some fun at Minnesota’s weather, but at least they got to enjoy a double rainbow over Target Field.
WOW! Double rainbow Monday at Target Field in #Minneapolis. Photo: Brian Peterson. #Rainbow #MNwx pic.twitter.com/5CQH2Ls8zh
— Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) July 15, 2014
All-Star Game forecast
Weather for Tuesday’s All-Star Game is expected to be cooler than average, but without the rain.
“One of the greatest things about All-Star week is it’s going to be a showcase for the nation that this isn’t necessarily the ice box 12 months of the year that people think it is,” Twins President Dave St. Peter told the Associated Press in a story published Monday. “That we have maybe arguably the best weather in the country for three or four months out of the year. That’s what will be on display on Tuesday.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a high of 71 degrees and partly cloudy skies for the Twin Cities Tuesday – which should be decent weather to watch baseball and show off Minnesotans are more than just nice, the weather can be too.
Warmer & dry today. All the makings of a beautiful night at #TargetField for the @AllStarGame! #ASG pic.twitter.com/eBw9jT9gvV
— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) July 15, 2014
