Micro-thaw now; arctic front blows in Thursday

Windy and colder Thursday into the weekend

Get ready for the downhill run on Minnesota’s weather roller coaster.

Our brief micro-thaw lingers into early Thursday. Temperatures soared nearly 40 degrees from near the zero-mark Wednesday morning, into the 40s in southwest Minnesota Wednesday afternoon.

Temperatures Wednesday afternoon
Temperatures Wednesday afternoon
Oklahoma Mesonet

Hopefully, you got a chance to scrape some ice off your walkway or driveway Wednesday. The deep freeze returns within 24 hours.

Arctic front

An arctic front sweeps through Minnesota Thursday. Gusty northwest winds and falling temperatures will remind us it’s still January in Minnesota.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Surface weather maps through Friday
Surface weather maps through Friday
NOAA

Temperatures will plunge through the teens Thursday night and bottom-out below zero across much of Minnesota by Friday morning.

Forecast minimum temps Friday morning
Forecast minimum temps Friday morning
NOAA

Temperatures will hover close to zero in the Twin Cities Saturday morning.

Forecast low temperatures Saturday morning
Forecast low temperatures Saturday morning
NOAA

Next week looks seasonably cold with highs in the teens and 20s across Minnesota.

Forecast high temperatures Tuesday
Forecast high temperatures Tuesday
NOAA

Mild again in late January?

The medium-range forecast maps suggest a return to a milder Pacific airflow in late January.

Upper air forecast map for 6 pm January 30
Upper air forecast map for 6 pm January 30
NOAA

NOAA’s eight- to 14-day outlook favors warmer than average temperatures across the Upper Midwest.

NOAA 8 to 14-day temperature outlook
NOAA eight to 14-day temperature outlook
NOAA

It’s been tough to get consistently cold air to stick around in Minnesota this winter.