Dangerously cold wind chills; top weather events of 2017

This Arctic chill will stay with us through this Sunday and into New Year's Day.

Our Twin Cities high temperature of -6 on Saturday tied the record for our chilliest December 30 high temp:

Very cold through New Year's Day

Highs in the single digits below zero will be common across central and southern Minnesota Sunday afternoon, and most of the northern third of Minnesota will see highs in the double digits below zero.

Lows Sunday night into early Monday will be well below zero:

On New Year's Day, highs creep up to zero or slightly above zero in much of Minnesota:

On Tuesday, we'll see some double digit highs:

Twin Cities metro area highs drop to the single digits above zero for Wednesday and Thursday, then rebound to about 12 on Friday.

Metro area high temps could reach the upper teens to around 20 next weekend.

Dangerous wind chills

Wind chill warnings remain in effect from this Sunday through 9 a.m. Monday for wind chill temps in the -30 to -50 range over northern and western Minnesota and parts of central Minnesota.

Frostbite can happen in 10 minutes or less with wind chills that are that low.

Wind chill warnings continue for much of southern Minnesota from today to noon on Monday.

A wind chill advisory is in effect this Sunday through 11 a.m. Monday for wind chills of -20 to -40 in the Twin Cities metro area and western Wisconsin.

Here are the warning and advisory areas:

NWS Grand Forks, ND

Details of the Twin Cities metro area wind chill advisory and some nearby wind chill warnings:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

239 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY MORNING...

.Wind chill values will range from 30 to 45 degrees below zero

early this morning and again Sunday night. Wind chills will

average around 25 below zero Sunday afternoon. Given the prolonged

period of cold and wind, the wind chill warning and advisory

remain in effect through Monday morning. Cover exposed skin and

dress in layers when outside during these kind of conditions. If

traveling, make sure you have warm clothes in your car and that

someone knows your travel plans.

The Wind Chill Warning is in effect for areas west of a line from

Mora, to Buffalo, Mankato, and Blue Earth Minnesota. A Wind Chill

Advisory is in effect for areas east of this line which includes

the Twin Cities Metro area and west central Wisconsin. Later

tonight the wind chill warning will include south central and

southeast Minnesota.

MNZ045-052-053-060>063-068>070-076>078-WIZ014>016-023>028-311645-

/O.EXT.KMPX.WC.Y.0008.000000T0000Z-180101T1700Z/

Kanabec-Isanti-Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Carver-

Scott-Dakota-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Polk-Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-

Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire-

Including the cities of Mora, Cambridge, Center City,

Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Chaska, Shakopee,

Hastings, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing, Osceola, Rice Lake,

Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Prescott, Menomonie, Durand,

Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire

239 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CST MONDAY...

* WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. The cold wind chills

will cause frostbite in as little as 30 minutes to exposed

skin. Expect wind chills to range from 20 below zero to 40

below zero.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and

east central, south central and southeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 11 AM CST Monday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Cover exposed skin and dress in layers

when outside during these kind of conditions. If traveling,

make sure you have warm clothes in your car, plenty of gas,

and that someone knows your travel plans.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will

combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can

occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and

gloves.

 

Details of the northwestern Minnesota wind chill warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Grand Forks ND

321 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-

026>030-038-039-049-052>054-011500-

/O.CON.KFGF.WC.W.0002.000000T0000Z-180101T1500Z/

West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-

West Marshall-East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-

East Polk-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-

South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-Wilkin-

West Otter Tail-East Otter Tail-Wadena-Grant-Towner-Cavalier-

Pembina-Benson-Ramsey-Eastern Walsh County-Eddy-Nelson-

Grand Forks-Griggs-Steele-Traill-Barnes-Cass-Ransom-Sargent-

Richland-Western Walsh County-

Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada,

Twin Valley, Halstad, Moorhead, Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster,

Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Baudette, Warren, Stephen, Argyle,

Newfolden, Middle River, Grygla, Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah,

Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, Fosston, Fertile, McIntosh,

Erskine, Bagley, Clearbrook, Bemidji, Mahnomen, Naytahwaush,

Waubun, Alida, Ebro, Lake Itasca, Long Lost Lake,

Lower Rice Lake, Roy Lake, Upper Rice Lake, Park Rapids,

Detroit Lakes, Wolf Lake, Breckenridge, Fergus Falls, Perham,

New York Mills, Parkers Prairie, Henning, Battle Lake, Wadena,

Menahga, Elbow Lake, Hoffman, Ashby, Herman, Barrett, Cando,

Langdon, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas,

Fort Totten, Maddock, Leeds, Minnewaukan, Devils Lake, Grafton,

Park River, New Rockford, Lakota, Mcville, Aneta, Tolna,

Grand Forks, Cooperstown, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro,

Hatton, Portland, Valley City, Fargo, Lisbon, Enderlin, Gwinner,

Milnor, Forman, Rutland, Wahpeton, Edinburg, Adams, and Lankin

321 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST MONDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. The dangerously

cold wind chills will cause frostbite in as little as 10 minutes

to exposed skin. Expect wind chills to range from 30 below zero

to 45 below zero.

* WHERE...Portions of central, north central, northwest and west

central Minnesota and northeast and southeast North Dakota.

* WHEN...Until 9 AM CST Monday.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Wind Chill Warning means the combination of very cold air and

the wind will create dangerously low wind chill values. Frost

bite can occur quickly and even hypothermia or death if

precautions are not taken.

And the northeastern Minnesota wind chill warning details:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Duluth MN

300 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

MNZ010>012-018-019-025-026-033>036-312100-

/O.CON.KDLH.WC.W.0003.000000T0000Z-180101T1500Z/

Koochiching-North St. Louis-Northern Cook/Northern Lake-

North Itasca-Central St. Louis-North Cass-South Itasca-South Cass-

Crow Wing-Northern Aitkin-South Aitkin-

Including the cities of International Falls, Ely, Isabella,

Bigfork, Hibbing, Walker, Grand Rapids, Pine River, Brainerd,

Hill City, and Aitkin

300 AM CST Sun Dec 31 2017

...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST MONDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. The dangerously

cold wind chills will cause frostbite to exposed skin in as

little as 10 minutes. Expect wind chills to range from 25

below zero to 50 below zero.

* WHERE...Portions of east central, north central and northeast

Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 9 AM CST Monday.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Wind Chill Warning means the combination of very cold air and

the wind will create dangerously low wind chill values. Exposed

skin can develop frostbite quickly. Anyone spending time out doors

is at risk for hypothermia or death if precautions are not taken.

Cover up and dress in layers to protect yourself from the wind

and cold.

Updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you can read about new weather details on the MPR news live weather blog.

Safety tips

Here's some timely information regarding cold weather safety:

When traveling across open country in cold weather, it's good to let someone know about your route and your expected arrival time.

It's always good to make sure that your cell phone stays fully charged during winter travel.

Snow chances

Most Minnesotans won't see any additional snow from Sunday through New Year's Day.

There will be a chance of snow showers in parts of Minnesota Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential snow pattern Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday:

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the precipitation rate (mm per hour), not to the total amount of snow.

Top Minnesota weather events of 2017

The Minnesota State Climatology Office has compiled a list of the top five Minnesota weather events of 2017.

According to the State Climatology Office:

Votes were cast from various weather enthusiasts including the National Weather Service, the University of Minnesota, State agencies and Facebook followers.

Here are the top five Minnesota weather events of 2017:

The earliest Minnesota tornadoes on record, which touched down on March 6, came in as the top Minnesota weather event of 2017.

According to the Climatology Office:

   Unusual and out-of-season weather grabbed headlines once again, this time because of not one, not two, but three tornadoes in Minnesota on March 6, 2017. These tornadoes broke the record for earliest in the season, by an impressive 12 days. The old record had been March 18, 1968, near Truman, or about 20 miles southwest of Mankato.

The three tornadoes struck during the same hour, with two of them in far southern Minnesota and the other one northwest of the Twin Cities. The first tornado tracked 9.6 miles through Faribault county, from near Bricelyn, to a campground on Rice Lake, before it crossed I-90 and dissipated. Approximately 30 minutes later, another tornado affected areas just to the north and east along a 12.3-mile path through the towns of Clarks Grove and Geneva. At roughly the same time, a different tornado traveled 8.9 miles through Sherburne County, from northwest of Zimmerman to just south of Princeton.

Number two on the list of top 2017 Minnesota weather events was the heat wave of February 17-22:

  The heat wave began on Friday, February 17, as mild winds from the south and southwest caused temperatures to soar. The Twin Cities reached 63 degrees, which set a daily record and was tied for the second warmest February day on record. Even 5,000 feet above the ground temperatures were near 60 degrees. Over the next several days, temperatures rose repeatedly to record or near-record levels across the state, with 50s and 60s common. On Monday February 20, much of Minnesota saw a steady, spring-like rain, with many locations recording a half-inch of rain or more. Muggy conditions accompanied the rain, and the 52-degree dew point temperature in the Twin Cities was the highest value ever recorded that early in the season.

The heat wave broke numerous daily high temperature records across the state, as well as many "high minimum" records. On February 20th the National Weather Service volunteer observer at Marshall recorded a low temperature of 52 degrees, which was the highest minimum ever recorded during February in Minnesota, beating out the old value of of 50 degrees at Tracy in 1948.

The third top Minnesota weather event of 2017 was the end of a 20 month warm streak in the Twin Cities:

According to the State Climatology Office:

   What are the chances of having 20 months in a row of above normal temperatures? Using basic probability theory, the chance of 20 straight warm months is about one-ten-thousandth of one percent. Still better odds than winning the lottery. From September 2015 to April 2017 each month in the Twin Cities finished above the 1981-2010 normal. There were three months in this stretch that were ten degrees above normal. December 2015, November 2016 and February 2017. The streak ended with May 2017 finishing .6 degrees below normal.

Coming in as number four in the top Minnesota weather events of 2017 was the June 11 hail and wind storm:

  Also known as the "peony pummeler" and the "hosta holer," this Sunday morning hail event caused around a billion dollars in damage to roofs and siding in Minnesota. While many saw penny and dime-sized hail across the Twin Cities, the northwest metro saw larger hail. Golf-ball sized hail was reported at Circle Pines in Anoka County and snowplows were called out in the county to move the hail. At one church service in Maplewood the hail became so loud on the roof that the priest stopped trying to preach over the hail and sat down to wait out the storm.

The winds of March 7 and 8 came in as number five on the list of top Minnesota weather events of 2017.

According to the State Climatology Office:

  On August 4, 2016 Babe the Blue Ox at Paul Bunyan Land Amusement Park was toppled over in a wind storm. In 2017, another roadside attraction took a hit. This time a strong cold front brought winds clocked at 60mph at the Twin Cities International Airport, knocking over recycling and garbage cans and many small branches. The US Bank Stadium lost some siding panels. Grand Marais had a wind gust of 66 mph and the high winds were too much for Pierre the Voyager in Two Harbors, losing an arm and his paddle in the winds.

We'll see what 2018 brings us.

I hope that you have a Happy New Year!

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:35 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.