Warm weather on Wednesday breaks record set in 1978

Temperatures hit a record-breaking 76 degrees in the Twin Cities Wednesday.

The previous record high temperature for November 2nd was 72 degrees set back in 1978.

Many Minnesotans celebrated the unseasonable warmth by hitting the golf course.

“Today, this is phenomenal,” said Steve Whillock, general manager and director of golf at Oak Marsh Golf Course in Oakdale. “Normally, we have 60 to 80 players per day in November. We’ve got three times that today with 200-plus players.”

Golfers enjoyed the summer-like weather in shorts and sunglasses.

“My wife got me this nice pair of shorts,” laughed Jerry Jungbauer of Dellwood, who golfed 18 holes Wednesday. “Normally I wouldn’t be golfing in November. Or if I was golfing, I’d probably be wearing a parka and there might be snow on the ground, so this is crazy.”

While golf courses enjoyed the warm weather, local ski hills are hoping for a change in temperature.

Afton Alps General Manager Trevor Maring said they normally start making snow the first week in November.

“In a T-shirt and sandals, it’s not perfect weather to make snow,” Maring said. “We need some help from Mother Nature. That requires low humidity and the wet bulb temperature that we’re looking for to make snow and keep snow. A wet bulb temperature of 27 degrees is really what we’re looking for.”

Afton Alps is aiming for an opening day of November 18th, which Maring thinks is still possible.

“We have our snow guns out, our snowmaking pipes juiced and we’re ready to roll,” Maring said. “We will make snow as soon as we get that window. I think the earliest is looking like sometime next week to get started.”

While waiting for the weather to cool down, Maring said skiers and snowboarders who buy their passes in the next few weeks can get a discount.

“We have a new Epic Day Pass that provides you up to 65% off your daily lift ticket, so great opportunities to get ready for the season,” Maring said.

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