Polar pain: -54 chill at Grand Marais, blizzard watch

Our most brutal week of winter so far escalated from inconvenient to downright dangerous today.

The wind chill factor at Grand Marais, Minn., Airport plunged to minus 54 degrees at 7 a.m. this morning.

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NOAA

Yes, weather fans, that's cold enough to freeze exposed skin in as little as two minutes. And no, your exposed skin doesn't care how macho you are about winter in Minnesota. Treat today's cold with respect or you will pay a price. Look after those in need of assistance.

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NOAA wind chill values and frostbite time via CBC

Weather headlines for Jan. 7, 2015

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  • Wind chill warning in effect for all of Minnesota this morning

  • Observed wind chill reading of minus 54 degrees at Grand Marais at 7 a.m. is coldest in Minnesota so far this winter

  • Alberta clipper brings 1 to 2-plus inches of snowfall to metro and eastern Minnesota tomorrow

  • Blizzard watch tomorrow evening for southwest and south central Minnesota

  • Next arctic front arrives with high winds and blowing snow tomorrow night

  • Temps moderate into the teens (above zero) this weekend

Cryoplaning: Black ice and wheel track glazing

One of the perils of sub-zero cold? Your auto exhaust freezing into a thin icy glaze know as black ice.

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Throw in a little "wheel track glazing" as warmer tires compress and melt snow blowing across the roadway on contact for instant refreeze and you have additional problems. How lovely.

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Iowa Department of Transptotation

We call skidding on wet summer roads hydro-planing. How about a little "cryoplaning" in winter?

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Semi truck in backwards on I-94 @ Cedar Ave this morning. Image: MNDOT

Thursday clipper

Our next Alberta clipper arrives tomorrow with another shot of snow.

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The National Weather Service notion of 1 to 2 inch accumulations for the metro (with heavier totals in northeast Minnesota and Wisconsin) seems reasonable at this point.

Recent model trends shove the storm track a little further west. That makes me think we may have to up snowfall a bit for the metro. I could see some 3 inch totals in the east metro and across the St. Croix River by tomorrow evening.

The overnight runs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System are more aggressive on snowfall totals for the metro Thursday.

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NOAA GFS snowfall via wxcaster.com

We'll see if the notion of slightly higher totals pans out. Either way, it won't take more than an inch to mess up areas roads again tomorrow. Expect a messy commute Thursday morning into midday.

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Weatherspark

Temps moderate this weekend

This week's cold wave eases this weekend as temps moderate into the teens. With less wind this could be a good weekend to get out and enjoy winter in Minnesota.

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Weatherspark

Hang in there Minnesota!