Wind chills of -40: Brutal cold envelops Minnesota
Dangerous cold will remain Friday before temps start to recover
The entire state is seeing dangerous cold Thursday, with some morning wind chills of minus 40 or below. Some schools, like in the Anoka-Hennepin district, are closed while others, including in Minneapolis and St. Paul, remain open.
Thursday’s forecast
All of Minnesota is starting off Thursday morning in either a wind chill advisory or wind chill warning.
Much of the state is seeing morning wind chills of at least minus 30 at times, and some areas in northern and western Minnesota feeling like minus 40 or colder. Here are some of the wind chills reported around the Arrowhead from just before 6 a.m.:
And, this compares some temperatures to wind chills for other parts of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities, around 5 a.m.:
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Exposed skin can get frostbite in mere minutes in this sort of cold, so be very careful outside.
Thanks to plentiful sunshine Thursday, all of Minnesota will warm up 10 to 20 degrees through the day. However, since the state is starting the as chilly as 25 below for some spots, that means afternoon highs will still mostly be below zero.
Winds will also lessen by afternoon, but the wind chill will still make the majority of the state feel like 10 to 20 below.
Friday will also start off brutally cold before temperatures start to recover for the weekend. The extended forecast will be posted around 9 a.m.
Programming note
You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.