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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Tracking the Arctic invasion

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Here we go.

The  first waves of our well advertised advancing cold wave is here. This one may leave a mark on the record books, and Minnesota's winter weather psyche. This will probably be the coldest shot of air of winter, and may be the coldest in 17 years in the Twin Cities.

A northwest wind in Minnesota in January usually brings a bite. This air mass is coming straight out of the Arctic Circle folks. You can track the source region for this air mass all the way north -- until you can't go north anymore.

628 arctic wind
Image: http://earth.nullschool.net/

Here's a closer look at our northwest surface flow pouring south form the Canadian Prairie. I've laid midday temps over the top as we begin to pull sub-zero air down over a clear Minnesota arctic sky.

628 vis tmps
Image: College of Dupage

There's no doubt about the magnitude of the incoming cold wave. Daytime temps colder than -20 north of Lake Winnipeg? Priceless.

628 sfc tm
Image: University of Illinois

Temps fall below zero Saturday evening, and stay there until Wednesday morning. Give or take, we should see about 88 hours of sub-zero air in the metro.

628 wskkk
Image: Weatherspark

The worst of the cold comes Monday morning. Temps should bottom out between -23 and -28 in the inner metro urban core. Temps of -30 in your favorite suburb and all places north of the metro is on the menu.

628 MinT2_minnesota
Image: NOAA

Record cold high near -15 Monday?

This may be the biggest story of the upcoming cold wave. The record for the coldest 'maximum' temperature on Monday is -14 set way back in 1909. There's a decent chance we may not even get that warm Monday. Here's a look at forecast highs Monday as the core of the arctic cold dome passes directly overhead.

628 mon
Image: NOAA

Wind chill levels may reach -50 to -60 Sunday night and Monday as the core of arctic air slides through.

628 ApparentT18_minnesota
Image: NOAA

 Much milder by next weekend

Don't like the weather in Minnesota? Just wait 15 minutes. Or in this case a few days. Temps will begin to moderate by mid-week, and we gradually crawl our way into the 20s by Friday and possibly the by next weekend.

628 wkd2
Image: Weatherspark

Hunker down and hang in there. Milder days are just a week away!