Twin Cities winter events pivot as arctic blast settles in this weekend
A bitter blast is putting some Minnesota winter events on ice.
The opening night party and first day of games for the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are being canceled due to dangerous cold in Minneapolis, organizers announced Wednesday.
Player check-in and a welcome party were set for Thursday night, while Friday's games were scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
"Just based on the wind chills that's forecasted for Thursday evening and Friday, we have canceled those days. We're going to compact everything kind of into a Saturday, Sunday event, and look to have as much fun out here as we can," said Scott Crowder, a commissioner with the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.
The coldest air Minneapolis has felt in at least a year is set to arrive Thursday night into Friday morning. Highs will be below zero on Friday, with wind chills between 30 and 50 below zero. Temperatures aren't expected to climb above zero until Sunday.
It's a change from 2024, when the tournament's final weekend was canceled due to warm weather. Last year, conditions were nearly ideal.
"When this event started back in 2006 the founder said hockey the way that nature intended, right? So we're at the mercy of big thing that we can't control, and that's the weather," said Crowder.
He said that last-minute changes are a challenge, but players who are coming from all across the country have been understanding.
In St. Paul, set up continues for the Winter Carnival this week.
"We are built on the cold weather, but we also need people to be safe, and that's our highest priority," said Lisa Jacobson, executive director of the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
Their only cancellation is Friday night's ice bar in Rice Park. But all other events, including Saturday's parade, are still scheduled.
"It's not a very long parade. It's on Grand from Dale to Lexington, and there are all the businesses, all the restaurants and bars along Grand, would love to have people warming up in there. So we're gonna make it work," she said.
Organizers with the Art Shanty Project on Lake Harriet say they are prepared to operate as normal with plenty of warming options.
The Winter Kite Festival is also on as scheduled, but a final decision will be made by noon on Friday.
