MPR’s Eric Jansen reports on the unusually warm temperatures for this time of year, which brought Minnesotans out by the droves into the sunshine, enjoying weather some describe as more like spring than fall. People in Minneapolis were blading, biking, running and strolling around Lake Calhoun.

Temperatures in November of 1998 were 3.6 degrees above normal in Minnesota. In the first week of December, Minnesota was about 19.3 degrees above normal. The warm autumn was a continuation of warm temperatures experienced throughout much of 1998. Another result of this warmth was the number of days without below zero temperatures in many southern Minnesota communities.