MASON CITY, IA-The temperatures have area folks changing things up a bit when it comes to their typical day, both at play and at work.
The calendar said January, but it feels more like April out there.
KIMT's meteorologists tell me we've hit records across the area Thursday with temps in the upper 50's!
Folks who are usually busy with fender benders and weather related accidents this time of year are doing something a little different to keep busy.
There’s a line at the carwash, motorcycles are being used and children are out feeding the ducks.
You would think it's a typical spring day. But it's January.
Hawkeye Auto Body Manager Ryan Knoll said, "Winter weather so far this year has not been too wintry."
Winter usually brings snow, ice, and weather related car accidents.
But not so far this year ... and that means business looks a little different for repair shops.
Knoll said, “A lot of the little fender benders from the parking lot accidents from ice have slowed down."
Hawkeye Auto Body is keeping busy with summer-time damages to cars, while the fire department adjusts their winter role as well.
Deputy Chief Dave Johnson said, "Last year at this time we were going from traffic accident to traffic accident."
But this year they're responding to some out of the ordinary calls for the winter months.
Dep. Chief Johnson said, "It's just kind of a different flavor of accidents. It’s more motorcycles, pedestrians, instead of people skidding off the road."
The warmer weather has also altered the type of ems calls the station is getting.
Dep. Chief Johnson said, "Typically this time of the year we would have people slipping on the ice, we'd have people falling. We would have cardiac runs. People out snow blowing or shoving their sidewalks getting chest pain, we really haven't seen that."
So whether you want it...or not, winter is sure taking its sweet time to get here.
