Falling temperatures across Minnesota Thursday
Gusty winds add a significant wind chill
Temperatures drop and light snow falls as a cold front makes its way through Minnesota Thursday.
Thursday’s forecast
Following the high temperatures Wednesday, and under westerly winds overnight, Minnesota stayed very mild through the night and most of the state is starting the day in the 20s and 30s as of 7 a.m.
The one exception is northwestern Minnesota, where a strong cold front has already passed through, sending temperatures plunging into the single digits and teens.
That front continues south across the state through the day and is expected to clear entirely through southern Minnesota by early evening. Here is an example of that falling trend expected in Brainerd Thursday (temperatures in red), and with continued gusty winds, how that brings wind chills (in blue) below zero by evening:
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.
For the Twin Cities, temperatures start to fall by midafternoon. These are the statewide temperatures expected at 4 p.m., which would normally be our warmer time of day; you can see how much cooler most of the state is expected to be versus Thursday morning:
As mentioned, winds stay gusty Thursday, adding a wind chill, and the front is bringing a light dusting of snow as it passes.
With the colder air continuing to filter in, overnight temperatures will drop near or slightly below zero for most of the state.
The cold weather continues Friday, then snow targets the state during the weekend. That extended forecast will be updated 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.