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Bitter cold eases this week; 30s by Sunday

Subzero temperatures all the way to Texas Tuesday morning.

Temperatures at 7 am Tuesday
Temperatures at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Oklahoma Mesonet

Minnesota expects extreme cold in winter. But the severity, duaration and geographic coverage of this cold wave is astounding. Subzero temperatures plunged all the way to Texas Tuesday morning.

Much of northern Minnesota has been below zero for the past 11 days. Several records fell last weekend up north.

Record temperatures in northern Minnesota
Record cold temperatures in northern Minnesota
Duluth National Weather Service

Today is the 11th straight morning with subzero low temperatures in the Twin Cities. When the final numbers come in it looks like the Twin Cities will log over 100 straight hours at or below zero. We’d need 130 hours to make it into the top 10 subzero streaks.

Cold gradually eases this week

Temperatures in much of Minnesota finally stagger above zero this afternoon.

Forecast high temperatures Tuesday
Forecast high temperatures Tuesday
NOAA

Highs reach the teens above zero most of this week. By Sunday, a wave of Pacific air will drive highs into the 30s across the Upper Midwest. That may feel like a heatwave.

Forecast high temperatures Sunday
Forecast high temperatures Sunday
NOAA

Light snow Wednesday

A minor weather system brings light snow to central and southern Minnesota Wednesday.

NOAA GFS model Wednesday
NOAA GFS model Wednesday
NOAA via tropical tidbits

Expect about an inch of snow across much of central Minnesota including the Twin Cities area. Afternoon rush hours Wednesday could be slick with temperatures in the teens.

We’re through the worst of winter’s cold this week, but winter is not done yet. Typically we see one more subzero morning in the Twin Cities the first week of March.

But hey, we got this Minnesota.

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