Arctic chill Sunday and Monday; looking for our next chance of snow
This isn't your typical early March weather.
Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 35 degrees this time of year, but we peaked at 18 degrees Saturday afternoon and it'll be much colder on Sunday.
On to the details.
Temperature trends
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Low temps late Saturday night/early Sunday morning will dip into the teens below zero across most of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Some spots in north-central and northeastern Minnesota could drop below -20.
The Twin Cities record low of -13 for March 3 could be in jeopardy.
Wind chill temps will be very cold. Here's a wind chill plot for several locations Saturday night through Monday morning:
The Twin Cities wind chill projection is the dark blue line that's second from the top.
Wind chill warnings cover most of western Minnesota overnight Saturday night through Sunday morning, with eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin in wind chill advisories:
The wind chill advisory in the Twin Cities metro area runs from midnight Saturday night to noon on Sunday.
Here are more details:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
259 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019
...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...
.Dangerous wind chills of 25 below zero to 40 below zero are
expected late tonight through Sunday morning as Arctic air
invades the region. The coldest wind chills are expected over
west central Minnesota, generally west of a Motley to St Cloud to
New Ulm line, where a Wind Chill Warning has been issued. East of
that line, including the Mankato, Twin Cities, and Eau Claire
areas, a Wind Chill Advisory has been issued.
Frostbite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken.
Make sure you wear a hat and gloves.
MNZ043>045-050>053-059>063-066>070-075>078-082>085-091>093-
WIZ014>016-023>028-030500-
/O.CON.KMPX.WC.Y.0010.190303T0600Z-190303T1800Z/
Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-
Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-
Scott-Dakota-Nicollet-Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Watonwan-Blue Earth-
Waseca-Steele-Martin-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk-Barron-Rusk-
St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire-
Including the cities of Little Falls, Princeton, Mora, Foley,
Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Monticello, Minneapolis,
Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chaska,
Shakopee, Hastings, St Peter, Le Sueur, Faribault, Red Wing,
St James, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, Fairmont, Blue Earth,
Albert Lea, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls,
Prescott, Menomonie, Durand, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire
259 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO
NOON CST SUNDAY...
* WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as
25 to 35 below zero expected.
* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and
central, east central, south central and southeast Minnesota.
* WHEN...From midnight tonight to noon CST Sunday.
* 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.
Sunday highs are expected to be a few degrees either side of zero:
The record for our coldest March 3 high temp in the Twin Cities is 6 degrees.
Monday highs will also be very cold:
Twin Cities metro area highs are projected to reach the mid teens on Tuesday, followed by 20 Wednesday and lower 20s Thursday. Upper 20s look reachable on Friday, and we could top 30 degrees next Saturday.
Snow chances
A few scattered Saturday evening flurries are possible in central and southern Minnesota.
Some light snow showers are expected in Minnesota and western Wisconsin Monday and Monday evening.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern:
Our flake chance in the Twin Cities would tend to be late Monday afternoon into Monday evening.
One computer model brings us some new snow to shovel late Thursday into early Friday, but most models push that snow off to our south. Stay tuned.
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.
You can check the latest forecasts from the NWS offices in the Twin Cities, Grand Forks, N.D., Sioux Falls, S.D., La Crosse, Wis., and Duluth.
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.