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Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News
Paul Huttner

Arctic waves ahead, February colder than January?

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Looks can be deceiving.

At first glance out the window today a lying sun beams out rays of apparent warmth. The bitter arctic air mass ignores the solar coaxing and turns a frigid cheek.

Baby, it's cold outside. And our frigid February has more waves of arctic air in the offing.

  • 17 days at or below zero in the metro this winter as of this morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

  • 43 days at or below zero at this point last winter

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An icy looking Lake Superior in Duluth this morning. Lake Superior Maritime Museum.

Bone chilling cold

No it's not as cold as last winter. But this will do until the real cold gets here. The nose of a sub-zero air mass bleeds south into Minnesota today.

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University of Illinois

Temps stagger into the low teens today in southern Minnesota. A Pacific warm front slides through Minnesota tonight and begins to stabilize temps. A dusting of snow slides across the state overnight as milder air rides up over the briefly departing arctic dome.

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Check out the maps. A brief incursion of milder air Friday. Another arctic plunge by Saturday. Another snow event heading for Boston. And so it goes.

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NOAA

The rumors are true, this weekend's air mass is even a few degrees colder than what we felt this morning. Warm hearts and cold feet this Valentine's Day.

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We come up for air Friday as temps soar into the upper 20s, maybe even 30 degrees near the metro. Then temps plummet again by Saturday as the temperature roller coaster ride returns.

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Weatherspark

So far, February is running colder than January in Minnesota. The icy outlook suggests February may keep it's position as the coldest month of this winter overall.

  • 19.0 degrees monthly temp at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (+3.4 vs. average)

  • 17.3 degrees monthly temp average at MSP for February so far (-0.7 vs. average)

Boston: Snowmageddon part 5

And the wintry hits just keep on comin' for Boston. The next storm winds up this weekend for Beantown. This one could be another whopper, with heavy snowfall and storm force winds. Get set for frantic Weather Channel and network reporters standing in another Boston whiteout this weekend on live TV.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration model is cranking out more than a foot once again for Boston this weekend.

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NOAA

Yes, it could be worse on the prairie.

Stay warm, Minnesota!