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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Ron Trenda

Arctic chill lingers; afternoon/evening snow showers

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What a difference a day makes!

Winds are very light Thursday morning in southern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area, so our morning wind chills aren't as severe as Wednesday.

The wind chill warning will expire at 9 a.m. for us. Our metro area temps are starting out in the 20s below zero.

There are lower temperatures and stronger winds in northern Minnesota, so the wind chill warning continues there until 11 a.m.:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Duluth MN

310 AM CST Thu Jan 31 2019

...EXTREMELY COLD WIND CHILLS THROUGH THIS MORNING...

.Extremely cold Arctic air and wind chills will continue across

the Northland through 11 AM this morning. Wind chill values of 40

to 60 below zero are expected. Conditions will improve late this

morning and afternoon.

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001-311700-

/O.CON.KDLH.WC.W.0006.000000T0000Z-190131T1700Z/

Koochiching-North St. Louis-Northern Cook and Lake-North Itasca-

Central St. Louis-Southern Lake-Southern Cook-North Cass-

South Itasca-South Cass-Crow Wing-Northern Aitkin-South Aitkin-

Carlton and South St. Louis-Pine-Douglas-

Including the cities of International Falls, Ely, Isabella,

Bigfork, Hibbing, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Grand Marais, Walker,

Grand Rapids, Pine River, Brainerd, Hill City, Aitkin, Duluth,

Pine City, Hinckley, and Superior

310 AM CST Thu Jan 31 2019

...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CST THIS

MORNING...

* WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low

as 60 below zero with temperatures in the 30 below zero to 45

below zero range.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest Wisconsin and east central,

north central and northeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 11 AM CST Thursday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The dangerously cold wind chills could

cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 5 minutes.

Hypothermia can develop very quickly.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Wind Chill Warning is issued when the combination of wind and

very cold air create dangerous wind chills. Hypothermia can set

in quickly, which may lead to death, and frostbite can develop

within minutes. Take action to protect yourself from the cold.

Cover up, dress warmly and in layers, and limit your time

outdoors. Travel with extra blankets or additional clothing in

case of vehicle trouble.

Highs Thursday will be in the single digits below zero in most areas:

rt131h3

Snow chance this afternoon

As the coldest air shifts eastward Thursday afternoon and evening, there will be enough moisture for some light snow.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale forecast model shows the potential snow pattern for Thursday and Thursday evening:

rt131rad
NOAA NAM simulated radar for Thursday and Thursday evening, via tropicaltidbits

The color chart to the right of the loop refers to the strength of the signal that returns to the radar, not to the amount of snow.

As always, updated weather information can be heard on the Minnesota Public Radio Network, and you’ll also see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Weekend warmth

Metro area highs are expected to reach the mid 30s on Saturday. We're shooting for 40s in the metro area and southeastern Minnesota on Sunday:

rt131mpx
NWS Twin cities

Rare wind chills

Park Rapids reported a wind chill of minus 65 Wednesday morning, Flag Island in Minnesota’s Northwest Angle saw a wind chill of minus 64. The lowest wind chill at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday was minus 53, but it was minus 55 at 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

Based on Twin Cities wind chill data provided by the Minnesota State Climatology Office, I found only nine days with official wind chills colder than 55 below zero:

  • Minus 67, Jan. 22, 1936

  • Minus 63, Jan. 1, 1924

  • Minus 61, Jan. 13, 1916

  • Minus 59, Jan. 5, 1912

  • Minus 59, Feb. 9, 1933

  • Minus 57, Jan. 10, 1982

  • Minus 56, Jan. 12, 1916

  • Minus 56, Dec. 24, 1983

  • Minus 56, Jan. 19, 1985

All values have been converted to the new wind chill formula that’s been in use since 2001.

This Updraft blog will be updated around midmorning Thursday.