Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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Buckle up, Minnesota. We’re in for more thermal whiplash over the next 48 hours. 

Wednesday morning featured the second coldest temperature of the year at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The mercury bottomed out at 16 below zero Wednesday morning. 

Lakeville, Eden Prairie and Lake Elmo bottomed out at minus 20 Wednesday morning. Albert Lea, Appleton, Paynesville and Red Wing all hit minus 24.

As the arctic air rapidly departed, temperatures shot up Wednesday morning. This air mass transfusion produced a temperatures rise of 38 degrees to 22 degrees in the Twin Cities as of late Wednesday. 

Minnesota is riding the edge of bitterly cold arctic air across central and eastern Canada. We enjoy briefly milder air overnight into early Thursday. Then the next arctic front drives subzero air south once again Thursday night into Friday morning. Temperatures then quickly moderate again into the 20s above zero as we head into the weekend.

Check out the rapid exchange of air masses on NOAA’s GFS model’s temperatures output between Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon. 

Right now Monday looks like the mildest day of the next week. 

Another arctic push arrives next Tuesday.

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

The edge of arctic air brings rapid temperatures changes.

Thermal whiplash: Rapid temperatures swings continue through Saturday

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