Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Dangerously cold wind chills dominated much of the eastern half of Minnesota early Wednesday. Wind chills are mainly in the minus 30s with even a few 40 below zero readings at times. We warm up quickly Wednesday with blustery south winds. 

It’s still very cold early Wednesday. On the Iron Range, temperatures dropped to as cold as 36 below zero in Hibbing about 2 a.m. before clouds moved in. 

The Twin Cities officially bottomed out at 16 below zero, just shy of the minus 17 we reached on Jan. 7, our coldest low of this winter season. Wind chills, even in the Twin Cities were in the 30s below zero. The wind chill advisory is in effect until 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Winds are already picking up from the south Wednesday with some clouds developing as warmer air moves up and over our dome of arctic cold air. The cold is in retreat and much milder air is streaming in behind it.

While those strong south winds will bring in the milder air, it will still feel pretty chilly into Wednesday afternoon. Winds will be as high as 20 mph from the south, keeping wind chills below zero for most until midafternoon Wednesday. 

By late afternoon, early evening Wednesday, temperatures will be 30 to 40 degrees warmer than what we saw just before sunrise Wednesday. Highs will be near 20 in the east and even near 30 degrees in far western Minnesota.

We will see temperatures continue to rise overnight Wednesday into Thursday. By early Thursday morning, temperatures will be well into the 20s, even near 30 in southern Minnesota ahead of another shot of colder air.

The next round of cold air will only last about 36 hours and it is not the brutal arctic air. With that said, we will drop below zero again early Friday morning with highs just in the lower teens in the south, single digits in northern Minnesota. 

We will already be back into the 20s for the weekend and remain near normal or above through Tuesday.

We could even be near or above freezing by Monday afternoon for much of southern Minnesota. 

Then, there are signs of another cold blast late next week. Don’t count out the cold just yet. February is just barely upon us.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Sven Sundgaard

Author

Dangerously cold wind chills dominated much of the eastern half of Minnesota early Wednesday. We warm up quickly Wednesday. By early Thursday morning, temperatures will be well into the 20s, even near 30 in southern Minnesota ahead of another shot of colder air.

Dangerously cold wind chills dominated much of the eastern half of Minnesota early Wednesday. Wind chills are mainly in the minus 30s with even a few 40 below zero readings at times. Meterologist Sven Sungaard joins Cathy Wurzer to talk the latest on the weather.

Dangerous cold starts to move out; warmer by evening

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox