Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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This is what the bottom of winter feels like Minnesota.

The core of winter’s coldest air mas oozes into Minnesota this weekend. The mercury plunged to 45 degrees below zero in Cotton, Minnesota Friday morning. Several 

This weekend will be a few degrees colder than last weekend for most Minnesota locations. Expect more negative 40s up north. The Twin Cities bottomed out at negative 16 last weekend. I think we’ll see minus 20 at MSP Airport this weekend, with minus 20s to near 30 below zero in some of the colder the ‘burbs like Lakeville.

Again, the numbers below seem too conservative for me for northern Minnesota, where lows will likely crater into the negative 30s to negative 40s again this weekend.

Record lows for the Twin Cities this weekend are minus 23 for Saturday morning, and minus 25 for Sunday and Monday mornings.

The upper air pattern finally kicks the Polar Vortex lobe out of Minnesota next week. By next weekend a Pacific flow pattern mercifully returns to Minnesota.

Highs will gradually warm into the teens above zero next week. There are signs of a (sustained?) thaw by the weekend of February 20-21.

Stay warm this weekend. The worst of our winter cold will be behind us in about 5 days.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The coldest air mass of winter descends into Minnesota this weekend. 

Oklahoma Mesonet

Forecast low temperatures Monday morning 

NOAA

Upper air forecast map for 6 pm February 20

NOAA GFS model 16-day temperature outlook for Twin Cities 

45 below zero at Cotton, Minnesota Friday; Twin Cities near 20 below this weekend

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