Micro thaw Tuesday; arctic invasion the rest of this week
Subzero temperatures and wind chills return this week
Did you feel it?
There was a fleeting whiff of springlike air across southern Minnesota Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures across the Upper Midwest hit the 40s in southern Minnesota, with 50s to 60 degrees as close as Nebraska.
I saw 42 degrees at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Tuesday, and 46 at St. Paul’s Holman Field.
Enjoy it. Looking at the forecast maps, Tuesday was likely the warmest day for the next two to three weeks.
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Yukon breeze
The next shot of arctic air blows into Minnesota through Wednesday. The upstream air mass features temperatures around 35 below zero in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory. That (mostly) subzero air mass will slide over Minnesota through Thursday.
Blizzard warnings continue for the Red River Valley into Tuesday night.
Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada, Twin Valley, Halstad, Moorhead, Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster, Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Breckenridge, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas, Grafton, Park River, Lakota, Mcville, Aneta, Tolna, Grand Forks, Cooperstown, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro, Hatton, Portland, Valley City, Fargo, Lisbon, Enderlin, Gwinner, Milnor, Forman, Rutland, Wahpeton, Edinburg, Adams, and Lankin
303 PM CST Tue Jan 18 2022
...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING...
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT...
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON CST THURSDAY...
* WHAT...For the Blizzard Warning, blizzard conditions. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 45 below zero. For the Winter Weather Advisory, blowing snow expected. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Minnesota and northeast and southeast North Dakota.
* WHEN...For the Blizzard Warning, until 9 PM CST this evening. For the Wind Chill Advisory, from midnight tonight to noon CST Thursday. For the Winter Weather Advisory, from 9 PM this evening to midnight CST tonight.
* IMPACTS...Widespread blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility in open country. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Wind chill advisories cover most of Minnesota
Subzero low temperatures cover most of Minnesota Wednesday morning.
Thursday brings the coldest morning this week, with lows around 30 below zero across parts of northern Minnesota, with minus 10s pushing well into southern Minnesota including the Twin Cities.
Next week looks arctic at times with similar shots of subzero weather. It looks like we could see the coldest two to three weeks of winter ahead.
Stay tuned.