Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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The arctic cold snap that remains entrenched across the Upper Midwest has prompted some school districts in Minnesota and neighboring states to cancel classes on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Some districts are running on a delayed start, or have moved to online learning. 

Anoka-Hennepin, Duluth, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester are among the districts that have canceled classes for Tuesday. Find a full list below.

Wind chills across the region are again forecast to be in the 30s below zero and 40s below zero on Tuesday morning. 

Find forecast updates on MPR Weather’s Updraft blog

The subzero temperatures in recent days have meant an increase in patients requiring care for frostnip or frostbite, including at Children’s Minnesota in the Twin Cities.

Dr. Liz Placzek with Children’s Minnesota said children are especially prone to cold injuries —  and that the first signs are easy to identify.

“It’s when the skin becomes kind of red or numb or tingly. We see it on the fingers, the nose, the ears or the cheeks,” Placzek said. “These are actually the very first signs of cold injury, and we’re seeing this a lot in kids recently — but what we’re starting to see also with these really cold temperatures is the progression into frostbite.”

Placzek said parents should bring kids inside to warm up at the first sign of frostnip. They should contact a medical provider if cold skin turns hard or waxy, and if exposure to gradual warmth indoors doesn’t improve pain or skin discoloration. 

“Kids are much more vulnerable to cold injury than adults are. Kids lose heat from their body much faster and are more likely to want to stay outside and play longer,” Placzek said. “We want to make sure that they have layers on. We don’t want them just in a T-shirt under their big winter coat — we want lots of warm layers, and try to keep them dry.”

School districts with weather-related closures or delays Tuesday in Minnesota and neighboring states include:

This list will be updated as additional delays and closings are reported. If you don’t see your school listed here, check with your district for updates.

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The arctic cold snap that remains entrenched across the Upper Midwest has prompted some school districts in Minnesota and neighboring states to cancel or delay the start of classes on Tuesday.

Kerem Yücel | MPR News

buildings are seen while smoke rises from lake 

Extreme cold leads to school delays, cancellations Tuesday across Minnesota

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