Wednesday brings the coldest morning in almost a year

Much of Minnesota is facing its coldest morning since last February, with dangerous wind chills making it feel like almost 40 below in some areas.

Dangerous cold

The storm that brought Minnesota another round of snow and a little ice on Tuesday has departed, but not before pulling in much colder air behind it.  The influx of cold air combined with clear skies overnight, which allowed significant radiational cooling (when clear skies and light winds allow for rapid heat loss at the surface overnight), caused temperatures to plummet.

Because of this almost the entire state is below zero as of 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, including a reading of minus 29 in Hallock, in the northwest corner of the state.

For much of Minnesota, this is not only the coldest morning so far this winter, but the coldest air since the arctic outbreak last February.

Although winds are fortunately fairly light, it is enough to combine with the cold air and bring wind chills to nearly 40 below, especially in the northwestern corner of the state. 

Due to the dangerous cold, almost all of central and northern Minnesota are under a wind chill advisory (blue), and near the North Dakota border, where temperatures and wind chills are the coldest, there is a wind chill warning in effect.

Those advisories and warnings end by late morning for most of central Minnesota, but extend as late as 6 p.m. currently for the northwest corner of the state.

Highs also stay well below average, with eastern and southern Minnesota making it into the single digits, but northwestern Minnesota never makes it above zero Wednesday.

Temperatures turn slightly milder again Thursday, but an even colder arctic blast hits Minnesota for the start of the New Year.

That extended forecast will be updated around 9 a.m.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on Minnesota Public Radio at 7:49 a.m. Monday through Friday morning.