Winter started mild, now temperatures fall

The official start of winter was warm, but cold winds send temperatures falling for most of Minnesota during the day Monday.

The winter solstice occurred Monday at 4:02 a.m. CT. This officially puts us in the winter season and marks the time of year we see the least amount of daylight.  The good news is our daylight now starts increasing until the summer solstice in June!

Monday’s forecast

Winter came in very warm, with almost the entire state in the 30s at 4 a.m., and even a couple 40s in southwestern Minnesota. This was over 20 degrees above average for a December morning this time of year.

However, with colder air moving across Minnesota, much of the state sees falling temperatures during the day. 

Temperatures will drop most dramatically in northern Minnesota, where the chill is already spreading Monday morning. The northwest corner of the state sees the biggest drops, into the teens and with a few single digits by late afternoon. 

In southern Minnesota, temperatures remain steady or even rise slightly in the morning, then dip a few degrees in the afternoon, but stay mostly in the 30s during the day.

Although southern Minnesota does not get the brunt of the cold air, it does see the highest winds. The entire state will be breezy Monday with the colder air moving in, but southern Minnesota gets winds gusting over 30 and even 40 mph in the afternoon. 

Much of the south and southwestern edge of the state is under a wind advisory until 4 p.m.

Light snow is also moving across northern Minnesota through the day, and a flurry or sprinkle could make it as far south as the Twin Cities. Otherwise, skies stay mostly cloudy.

An even more potent winter storm moves across Minnesota Wednesday, bringing snow and the coldest weather so far this season. That forecast will be updated around 9:30 a.m.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:48 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.