I will vouch for the warmer winters in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. And summers also get hot in that area as well. In fact, there were snow storms east of Chicago last December, while Minneapolis/St. Paul didn't have any snow on the ground. The coldest months are December, January, February, and March. It starts warming up in April, gets hot by the end of May, then starts cooling off in the middle of September. November is when it starts getting cold, with below freezing temperatures towards the end of the month.
Minneapolis/St. Paul is well adapted to the colder climate, and other parts of the country envy that place during the "dog days" of Summer. In fact, I have heard of people who moved up there from Phoenix because of the heat close to the Mexican border.
For those who think of Minnesota as being "out in timbuktu": Try driving between Chicago, and Ann Arbor down I-94 in the middle of December in a snow storm. Exits are at least 15 miles apart, and you might have to drive a good 50 miles before the next gas station. Be sure to fill up before you leave Michigan City, Indiana!
MrCoffee