Where Bloggers Live: Rainy Days in All Four Seasons in Minnesota
- sallyinstpaul
- 20 hours ago
- 6 min read
Welcome back to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live! I am lucky to have joined a terrific group of bloggers who give a peek into the places and spaces where they spend their time.
Today's topic is...Rainy Day Favorites...and I favor rain for several reasons:
If it's rainy, it's not sunny. Sunny days can be lovely, no doubt, but they can also be difficult because even with sunglasses and a hat, too much sun gives me a terrible headache. And that's before we get to the part where it wants to burn me to a crisp. Sunny days in winter are the WORST in Minnesota because my southern brain sees them and thinks "Oh, a nice warm sunny day" but then I go outside and it's -30 F (-34 C) and my nose hairs freeze.
If it's rainy, there is only so warm or so cold it can be in MN. We aren't a tropical environment, so rainy days above say 80 F (27 C) are not really a thing. And if it's colder than about 35 F (2 C), we don't see liquid water falling from the sky.
Everything outside looks so pretty when it's been rained on. For example, I talked about how wet rocks are the prettiest rocks in this post about nature's beauty.
GPT-4o says: "Colorful pebbles scattered, mixed with red autumn leaves. Earthy tones dominate the textured background, creating a natural, peaceful scene."
Another of my favorite things about rainy days is that they can pop up in any season in Minnesota. Yes, even winter! (By contrast, my parents in Northern California live in a "warm Mediterranean climate" with a distinct rainy season - October through early May - and a hot, dry season - mid-May to October, which is very different from anywhere I've lived!)
Let's see what rainy days in St Paul look like...
Spring (March-May)
Of course spring is the classic "rainy season" with April showers bringing May flowers (or as we more often experience in Minnesota, May showers bringing June flowers). According to Gemini AI, in St Paul, we average about 6.2" (15.7 cm) of rainfall in spring; if you include the "liquid equivalent of snow" in the total, it's about 8.1" (20.6 cm).
GPT-4o says: "Rain-covered windshield blurring view of a parking lot with cars. Grey sky and wet surface create a gloomy atmosphere." Even more gloomy is I was preparing myself for the walk across the parking lot to go into work rather than going home...and I'm about 90% confident I took the photo because I wasn't physically prepared with an umbrella, etc., to get into the office dry. Starting out the work day damp is not the most fun thing ever.
GPT-4o says: "Rainy day by a river with a large bridge in the background. A green tree and pathway with a lamp post in the foreground. Overcast sky." But if you look closely, you'll see that there is hail in that rain. Apparently spring is the top season for hail (50% of occurrences), and I was surprised to learn that Minnesota the #9 state for most hail events (unsurprisingly, Texas is #1 and my home state of Oklahoma is #7) (source).
GPT-4o says: "Person with braided hair wearing a polka dot coat, floral skirt, and heart-patterned boots stands confidently indoors." Heart-patterned boots, eh?
GPT-4o says: "Blue rain boots with white whale pattern on beige carpet. A navy floral dress with pink and orange flowers is visible. Whimsical mood." Whale pattern - that's better! People love seeing these whale print rain boots - I think they are the perfect whimsical option.
Summer (June-August)
One of the very best things about summer rain in Minnesota is that it actually cools you down! After so many years in the southern US (Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina), where summer rain means "hot but now even more unbearably humid," it's so nice to live somewhere that summer rain cools like it should! See also: If it's rainy, it's not sunny.
GPT-4o says: "Yellow daylilies with dewdrops in a lush green garden, surrounded by hostas with white-edged leaves. Calm and fresh morning scene." OK, flower aficionados, did GPT get the identifications right? Hah, at first I read "dewdrops" to mean that GPT thought there are dewdrop flowers in the image, but I think it's saying that the flowers have dewdrops on them...which are of course actually raindrops after the rain ended.
GPT-4o says: "Green leaves with water droplets and red berries, set against a blurred natural background, conveying a fresh, vibrant mood." Aren't raindrops on leaves so gorgeous to look at? Right up there with the wet rocks :)
Fall (September-November)
Rain in the autumn months in Minnesota feels precious because you want to hold onto those fall days where it's too warm to snow. You know that winter is coming, and you want to put it off as long as possible. Although meteorological Fall lasts the same three months as every other season, in terms of weather, it's the shortest, right? Summer hangs on forever (even here!), and then there's a blip of cool but nice fall weather, then it's winter.
Gemini had a hard time with answering my question "What season is shortest in terms of weather?" It told me about the astronomical seasons - nope. Then about each meteorological season being 3 months long - I know that. So I asked "It seems like fall is the shortest in terms of weather, is that right?"
GPT-4o says: "Mist-covered bridge over a river, trees with autumn leaves, a wet pathway, and a lamppost. Overcast atmosphere." Overcast...because it's actually currently raining, though it's such a drizzly rain that it's hard to tell.
GPT-4o says: "Autumn trees with yellow and brown leaves by a foggy river. A lamp post stands by a wet walkway, creating a serene and misty atmosphere." I love how the yellow leaves are even brighter when wet and pop against the background.
GPT-4o says: "Red and yellow autumn leaves on bushes and trees in a garden setting. A stone path and large rocks are visible, conveying a tranquil mood." The "garden" is the area under my apartment's balcony that I call "my yard."
Winter (December-February)
If you're skeptical about winter rain in Minnesota, I hear you - it doesn't seem like a thing that should happen! And it doesn't happen much - the average rainfall here in winter is less than 1" (2.5cm). Gemini calls December 6 to March 2 the traditional "rainless period" here.
But December 2023 was the rainiest December in St Paul history, and we had more rain than snow! We had a total of 2.25" (5.7 cm) of rain that month and only 2.1" (5.3 cm) of snow. Instead of a White Christmas, we had a Wet Christmas: 0.35" of rain on Christmas Eve and 0.95" on Christmas Day for a total of 1.3" (3.3 cm) of rain! It was strange, but kind of great, actually!
GPT-4o says: "Bare tree branches with small droplets cover the scene. The background is blurred, giving a misty feel. The mood is serene and natural."
Next month's topic is My Favorite Things About Being Me...an interesting subject I really have not thought about! We'll have to see what comes to mind.
In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers as they share about their Rainy Day Favorites:
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Iris, always in our hearts, from Iris' Original Ramblings
Now to you: what are your favorite things about rainy days? Do you have any favorite rain gear? Do you get rain in every season where you live?
Blogs I link up with are listed here.