Slightly milder Tuesday, then colder again by late week

Although still 15 to 25 degrees below average highs, Tuesday and Wednesday will be the mildest days of the week, as another drop in the temperatures is on the way starting Thursday.

Tuesday’s forecast

A very light area of snow moved across south central Minnesota early Tuesday, with any lingering snow expected to end by late morning. Despite it only producing a dusting in most places, it was enough to cause slick spots on the roads, so drive with care.

Otherwise, the state was off to another frigid start with all but a few spots in southwestern Minnesota below zero and temperatures as cold as minus 20 or chillier along the northern edge of the state.

Mostly sunny skies and a slight southwest wind flow make Tuesday the mildest day of the week, with much of the southern half of the state making it above zero.

In St. Cloud, for example, this will be the first temperature above zero since last Thursday (although St. Cloud did briefly make it to zero Monday).

Wind chills stay 10 to 20 below much of the day, and 30 below or colder at times for the northern edge of the state, with the entire state under at least a wind chill advisory until 10 a.m.

Portions of northern Minnesota stay under warnings or advisories all day. In some cases, such as the wind chill warning in northwestern Minnesota, they extend all the way through Sunday because of the continuously dangerous conditions.

Turning colder again

The bitter and even dangerous cold remains the weather story all week. Like Tuesday, Wednesday will not be as cold compared to recent temperatures, with highs above zero south and in the negative single digits north.

A disturbance Thursday brings snow back to Minnesota. 

When temperatures are as cold as they have been, the air cannot hold much moisture, so Thursday’s snow should stay light.

However, the pattern trends colder again with and behind that disturbance, putting the entire state back below zero for highs by Friday. Overnight lows also turn colder, with much of the state from 15 to 30 below for lows Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings.

The winds keep the already arctic air even more brutally cold. While wind chills remain at least 10 to 30 below much of the week, the weekend brings another surge of wind chills that dip 30 to 50 below.

Here is that temperature and wind chill trend for the Twin Cities through Friday, with slightly colder weather possible Saturday and Sunday:

Temperatures should start trending a little milder again by next Monday but still stay well below average.

Programming note

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