The Price of Manufactured Winter

You don’t have to be a native Minnesotan to understand how unusual this winter has been. This winter season in the Twin Cities has been one of the warmest on record, with an average temperature of 29.9 degrees from December, January, and February, WCCO reported earlier this month. That’s more than 10 degrees above average.

For businesses that depend on winter weather, this season has also presented financial and logistical challenges. That recently led Gov. Tim Walz to “unlock” federal disaster funds to help out businesses impacted by the warmer winter and historical drought conditions. Under the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, businesses can borrow up to $2 million to cover their actual losses, and they won’t pay interest for the first year, according to the governor’s office.

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