MINNEAPOLIS - If it wasn't for the wind at Bde Maka Ska today, you'd think it's July all over again.
"I got off work early and decided it was just a really nice day and wanted to get outside," Bailey Perry said. "Since it was over 60 even after the first snowfall, [I] decided to come out for a walk on the beach."
Perry was donning shorts and sandals like many others near the lake this afternoon. She says it kind of reminds her of the hot summer days.
"I got a nicer bike this summer to go for long rides to go explore," Perry said. "But typically there has to be an ice cream stop on the way to stop for a sweet treat to cool off."
It didn't have to be blazing hot for Trevor Aarsvold to bring his little sister for an ice cream stop at Sebastian Joe's in Uptown. The duo settled on the Oreo flavor.
"It was an Oreo day," Aarsvold said. "It's kind of an unexpected warm day out of a week of crazy weather so I'm happy with my decision."
Lucky for them, KARE 11's Chief Meterologist Belinda Jenson says there could be a few more Oreo days this winter, hinting at a warmer winter.
"So we have a weak El Nino, the interesting thing with the winter outlook is that nowhere int he country does it look like it will be below average for temps," Jenson said. "We're part of the area where typically with a weak El Nino, you see above average temperatures."
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is reporting the same.
"A mild winter could be in store for much of the United States this winter," they report.
For December through February, above-average temperatures are expected across the northern and western part of the country -- hey! That's us!
In addition, El Nino could be in place by late fall to early winter, meaning it may bring warmer -- and drier -- conditions north.
If nothing else, the Winter Outlook says no part of the U.S. is favored to have below-average temperatures this year ... so there's that!