Arctic chill’s last gasp; much warmer this weekend!
The official low temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport hit minus 23 Thursday morning, but temps dropped into the 30s below zero in some metro locations, including the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen:
Winds were very light Thursday morning, so I'm sure that the National Weather Service balloon launch was easier than the launch depicted in this video from Wednesday morning:
The National Weather Service list of Thursday morning lows in the metro area and central Minnesota shows minus 30s in several locations, including Golden Valley and Lakeville.
International Falls, on the Canadian border, hit 45 below this morning, dropping way below their previous Jan. 31 record low of 35 below.
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Redwood Falls in southwestern Minnesota dropped to at least minus 27, breaking its old record of minus 22.
Close to the state low temp record
The state’s cold temperature record of minus 60 was set on Feb. 2, 1996 near Tower in northeastern Minnesota.
They made a run at that record this morning in Cotton, about an hour’s drive south of Tower:
Wind chills
Temps are coldest in northern Minnesota, and there is enough wind in many locations to warrant wind chill warnings Thursday morning:
Wind chill warnings continue until 11 a.m. Thursday in northeastern Minnesota, until noon in the remainder of the north. The wind chill warning in southeastern Minnesota expires at 10 a.m.
You can check for updates on wind chill warnings from the NWS offices in the Twin Cities, Grand Forks, N.D., Sioux Falls, S.D., La Crosse, Wis., and Duluth.
Temperature trends
Most of Minnesota should see highs Thursday afternoon in the single digits below zero, with a few spots in the far north staying a bit colder. Southwestern Minnesota will probably pop above zero.
Highs Friday reach the teens in about the northeastern half of Minnesota, with mostly 20s in the southwestern half. The far southwest could touch 30:
Saturday highs are projected to reach the 30s in about the southern half of Minnesota, with 20s to the north:
Saturday should be our first trip above freezing in the Twin Cities metro area since Jan. 15!
Sunday highs range from the 20s in northwestern Minnesota to the 40s southeast:
Our average high this time of year is 24 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area.
Snow chances
Some light snow showers are possible in southern Minnesota Thursday into this evening. Light snow or flurries could arrive in the Twin Cities metro area around mid afternoon and linger into early this evening, with a light dusting possible
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern for Thursday and Thursday evening:
The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow.
As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.