40s Thursday in SW Minnesota. Coldest stretch of winter next week?

Well, that felt nice!

Temperatures soared into the 40s across southwest Minnesota Thursday afternoon.

We achieved 35 degrees in the Twin Cities. Thursday was the warmest day in 18 days since we hit 37 degrees on Dec. 29.

Here are some select high-temperature readings around Minnesota Thursday:

• Madison, 43 degrees

• Canby, 42 degrees

• Worthington, Slaton, Tracy, 41 degrees

• Granite Falls, 40 degrees

• Twin Cities, 35 degrees

• Brainerd, 34 degrees

• Duluth lakefront ,34 degrees

• Two Harbors, 34 degrees

Mild start Friday

Temperatures won’t drop much Thursday night across most of the state. Friday morning will be mild across most of central and southern Minnesota. But notice the blue hues on the map below sliding into northwestern Minnesota by noon Friday?

Our inbound arctic front will blast through Minnesota Friday afternoon with gusty northwest winds.

An inch of arctic fluff and 55 mph wind gusts in the Red River Valley Friday have triggered winter weather advisories including northwestern Minnesota:

Including the cities of McIntosh, Milnor, Pencer, Dakota Junction, Red Lake Falls, Grygla, Hayes Lake State Park, Roseau, Erdahl, Erskine, Barrett, McLeod, Gwinner, Forman, Casperson, Shoreham, Hillsboro, Rutland, Newfolden, Hadler, Salol, Fertile, Thief River Falls, Fergus Falls, Fargo, Lisbon, Mahnomen, Twin Valley, Detroit Lakes, Lawndale, Portland, Kelso, Valley City, Naytahwaush, Roseville, East Grand Forks, Breckenridge, Syre, Fox, Middle River, Moorhead, Malung, Crookston, Herman, Mayville, Wahpeton, Fosston, Elbow Lake, Rosewood, Flaming, Enderlin, Hoffman, Espelie, Gatzke, Ashby, Hatton, Faith, Ada, Halstad, and Waubun

158 PM CST Thu Jan 16 2025

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM CST FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Snow showers and blowing snow expected. Total snow accumulations up to one inch. Winds gusting as high as 55 mph.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Minnesota and southeast North Dakota. * WHEN...From 9 AM to 9 PM CST Friday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday evening commute. Strong winds could cause extensive damage to trees and power lines.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The will be a wide range of conditions, from just a brief period of poor visibility to more sustained whiteout conditions, depending on coverage of snow showers and blowability of snow pack. Prepare for rapidly changing conditions.

You’ll notice the temperatures plunging into the teens Friday afternoon and heading toward the zero mark by early Saturday.

Highs Saturday under an arctic sun will struggle to reach about 9 degrees in the Twin Cities and hover below zero in the north:

The core of the coldest air arrives Saturday night through Tuesday morning. We’ll bottom out around minus 15 degrees across the Twin Cities on Monday and Tuesday morning.

Some models keep the Twin Cities and most of northern Minnesota below zero from Saturday night through Wednesday morning, so some areas will likely see 60 to 84 hours of subzero temperatures.

Next week is likely to be the coldest week of winter for Minnesota.

Stay warm!