Winds blow arctic chill across MN; some snow Sunday, then colder
The temperature at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport hovered around 20 degrees from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday. That's the high temp that will go into the books for the day.
An arctic cold front moved through Thursday morning, and falling temps are expected, dropping below zero in the metro area sometime Thursday afternoon.
Wind chill temps will be in the range of minus 20 to minus 35 degrees Thursday afternoon and night.
It's time to switch back to our warmest coats, gloves and hats!
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Advisories
Gusty winds in Minnesota will cause blowing and drifting snow and reduced visibility, especially in western and southern Minnesota.
The National Weather Service continues winter weather advisories in those areas:
Parts of northwestern Minnesota are also in a winter weather advisory into Thursday afternoon:
Wind chill advisories have been issued for all of Minnesota, plus western Wisconsin Thursday into Thursday night. The wind chill advisory begins in the Twin Cities metro area at noon, and runs until 9 a.m. Friday:
Details, from the Twin Cities office of the NWS:
MNZ045-052-053-060>063-068>070-242215-
/O.CON.KMPX.WC.Y.0004.190124T1800Z-190125T1500Z/
Kanabec-Isanti-Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Carver-
Scott-Dakota-
Including the cities of Mora, Cambridge, Center City,
Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Chaska, Shakopee,
and Hastings
814 AM CST Thu Jan 24 2019
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 AM
CST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as
35 below zero expected.
* WHERE...Portions of east central Minnesota.
* WHEN...From noon today to 9 AM CST Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The dangerously cold wind chills could
cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will
combine to create low wind chills. Frostbite and hypothermia can
occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves.
Here are details of the winter weather advisory that includes Mankato, Minn.:
MNZ065-067-074-075-082-083-091-092-242215-
/O.CON.KMPX.WC.Y.0004.000000T0000Z-190125T1500Z/
/O.CON.KMPX.WW.Y.0005.000000T0000Z-190125T0000Z/
Renville-Sibley-Brown-Nicollet-Watonwan-Blue Earth-Martin-
Faribault-
Including the cities of Olivia, Gaylord, New Ulm, St Peter,
St James, Mankato, Fairmont, and Blue Earth
814 AM CST Thu Jan 24 2019
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST FRIDAY...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING...
* WHAT...Blowing snow with very cold wind chills expected. Winds
gusting 35 to 40 mph. Wind chills as low as 35 below zero
expected.
* WHERE...Portions of central and south central Minnesota.
* WHEN...For the Winter Weather Advisory, until 6 PM CST this
evening. For the Wind Chill Advisory, until 9 AM CST Friday.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Patchy blowing snow could significantly
reduce visibility and impact the morning commute. The
dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed
skin in as little as 10 minutes.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will
cause primarily travel difficulties. Expect snow covered roads
and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
A Wind Chill Advisory means that cold air and the wind will
combine to create low wind chills. Frostbite and hypothermia can
occur if precautions are not taken. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves.
The latest road conditions for Minnesota can be found at
511mn.org and for Wisconsin at 511wi.gov, or by calling 5 1 1 in
either state.
This chilly summary is from the Duluth National Weather Service office:
You can check the latest forecasts, warnings and advisories from the NWS offices in the Twin Cities, Grand Forks, N.D., Sioux Falls, S.D., and La Crosse, Wis .
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.
Temperature trends
Cold and colder.
Temps will be falling in most areas today, with some brief pauses.
Lows overnight tonight and early Thursday will range from 30s below zero in far northern Minnesota to teens below zero in the south:
Friday highs will stay below zero in the north, and creep just above zero in the south:
Highs in the teens return to southern Minnesota on Saturday:
Highs retreat a few degrees on Sunday:
After metro area highs in the lower teens on Monday, we could see below-zero high temps on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The last time that our high temperatures were below zero in the Twin Cities metro area was late December of 2017:
That was a memorable cold stretch that began on Christmas Day of 2017 and continued into the first week of January 2018.
Sunday snow chances
It looks like snow will spread across Minnesota as we go through Sunday, and the snow will continue in many areas Sunday night into Monday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the potential precipitation pattern Sunday through Monday:
The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the precipitation rate (mm per hour), not to the total amount of rain or snow.
Other models are a bit slower with the timing, but it looks like the best chance of snow in the Twin Cities metro area will be Sunday evening into early Monday, and we'll see enough snow to shovel and plow. Check forecast updates.
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.