Twin Cities enjoying warmest weekend since last October

People around the Twin Cities were packing picnics, skiing in shirtsleeves, lunching on outdoor decks, boiling maple syrup and heading out for one last ice fishing expedition as Saturday brought fair skies and the warmest afternoon so far this year.

The temperature was expected to reach 55 degrees, according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service's regional office in Chanhassen. Skies were mostly sunny and winds were breezy but not brutal, staying at 10 to 15 mph and gusting to 25 — carrying in warmth from the south.

Saturday probably will not hold its Warmest Day title for long, as temperatures on Sunday were expected to reach at least 64, the Weather Service said. Both days are the balm­iest since late October, when temperatures last hit the mid-50s and 60s.

With the weather this nice, Darren Coyne of Chanhassen made plans to go out on his boat Sunday afternoon — "driveway boating," that is. Wait, what?

"Pull the boat out into the driveway, get a few neighbors over, a few beers, and pile in!" Coyne said. "It's the next best thing to actually being on the lake, followed by garage boating when the weather is too cold outside."

The normal high for these dates is a far chillier 37 degrees, said meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein. Next week is expected to be a bit colder, and late March could bring rain or possibly snow. But "the entirety of this month we've had warmer-than-normal temperatures," he said.

That's no surprise to Tom Thomson, owner of Guse Hardware in Minneapolis, based on his store's sales of a corn-based ice-melting product.

"Last year, we sold 16 tons of it — this year, maybe six," he said. Fewer shovels, too, he added.

At Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington, the runs featured "spring conditions," which is ski industry lingo for snow pushed from heavier places into melted areas, said Kent Kloster, operations supervisor. Skiers and snowboarders went without jackets and by Sunday, he predicted, they will be shedding even more thermal clothing.

"This last week you'll see a lot of Hawaiian shirts, people down to T-shirts, people skiing in shorts," he said. The ski area will close after next weekend, which is around the usual time.

Some hardy patrons of Maynard's restaurant in Excelsior opted to lunch al fresco at its lakeside patio and wharf bar, which opened Saturday for the first time this year, said Ryan Mascher, front-of-house manager. He expected a bigger crowd Sunday.

"We had a whole crew of staff here removing snow from our wharf and patio so we could have it open this weekend," he said. "A lot of sweat went into opening it today."

Nance Lee Mosquera of Minneapolis decided it was time to fire up "Grandpa," the name she has given to her restored 1948 Dodge pickup truck. She doesn't take Grandpa out in the winter because the truck's fire-engine-red paint is not rustproof and the laborious manual steering and brakes aren't great on slippery streets. But on Saturday, Mosquera went through the complex process — involving many knobs and pedals — of getting Grandpa's engine going.

"He's been roused from hibernation and is excited for the new season," Mosquera said.

Brian Lieder of Mound spent the morning cleaning and preparing his gas and charcoal grills for spring barbecues, then headed out on Lake Minnetonka for some ice fishing.

"It's the best day to fish because no one is isolated in their houses; it's one big gathering on the ice," he said. "Best fishing day of the year!"

Or maybe second best — Lieder planned to go out one last time on Sunday.

Katy Read • 612-673-4583