Minnesotans have MAD

[GAspnes]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5619741.html

Mark Seeley, a University of Minnesota climatologist, has jokingly coined a term to describe this fascination: MAD, or meteorological affective disorder.

He has lived in 13 states and says he has never seen a population so fixated on what happens outside their windows.

"I've met people who keep track of the weather on their birthday every year, so they can tell you what the weather was like on their birthday in 1957," he said.

Seeley, who also does weather commentary for Minnesota Public Radio, said there are a couple of reasons for Minnesota's obsession. One is practical: We live in an area that has perhaps the most extreme swings in weather of any well-populated area of the globe.

"Weather affects every portion of our lives, and people recognize that," Seeley said. "Up here in the northern climate, we're subject to all sorts of weather episodes that the rest of America doesn't see."

[Salviati]

1. I remember once...

One afternoon in the spring probably about 10-15 years ago, where we had about a 40 degree drop in the temperature over the course of about 3-4 hours. Minnesota can get some pretty wild weather.

[GAspnes]

3. I've noticed this my whole life, but only anecdotally

It seems the topic of conversation is often the weather. I always attributed it to our being an 'agricultural' city. When I was a kid, the vast majority of business centered on farming -- supplying the farmers, processing grain, shipping grain, selling grain.

But by that measure, Iowa & Nebraska should be more weather-conscious than we are.

[wellstone dem]

2. Although this wouldn't apply to immigrants to MN

those of us who grew up here often have close ties to farming, weather is all we talk about here in more rural MN, because it is the key to the economy, for our neighbors who farm, our relatives who farm, and related businesses.

[GAspnes]

4. gmta! (n/t)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. My mother (born and brought up in Mpls) is obsessed with weather

and she's almost never satisfied with it. It's always either too hot or too cold.

She will sometimes keep the Weather Channel on for an hour or more, as if hoping that the forecast will change.

[hermetic]

6. I've lived here 12 years now

and weather is where you always start a coversation with a stranger on the bus, or on the street. If you can agree about the weather, you can move on to bigger topics. Like fishing, or the damn government. I like Minnesota. :)

[dflprincess]

7. I've noticed

that local newcasts in other parts of the country don't spend as much time on the weather forecast. I can't understand what's wrong with those people.