Colder; freeze possible Thursday morning

We hit 72 degrees this Tuesday afternoon at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.  We've now seen highs in the 70s on 6 of the first 11 days this October.

That's impressive, since our average high temp this time of year is in the lower 60s!

Cold front pushes through

Northwestern Minnesota saw afternoon temps in the 40s today, and that cool air will spread over much of Minnesota overnight and early Wednesday.

Highs Wednesday will only reach the lower 50s in southeastern Minnesota, with mostly 40s elsewhere:

Showers are possible overnight, and some showers could linger over eastern Minnesota Wednesday morning.

Wednesday will be breezy, then winds will lighten as a cold high pressure system moves over Minnesota Wednesday night:

Frost/freeze

Light winds and mostly clear skies will lead to very cold temperatures across Minnesota early Thursday morning:

Lows in the 20s are expected over much of Minnesota early Thursday morning, with lower 30s from the Twin Cities southeastward.

It would be our first 32 degree or colder temperature this autumn at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

This is actually a few days later than normal for our first official 32 degree reading, according to the Minnesota State Climatology Office:

October 8th is our median date (half the time it occurs earlier/half later) for hitting 32 degrees in the fall.

The cold air stays with us on Thursday, with afternoon highs in the 50s:

Some spots in northern Minnesota will top out in the upper 40s.

Highs in the 60s return on Friday, and 60s are likely this coming weekend.

Hurricane Nicole

Hurricane Nicole is gathering strength, and could move very close to Bermuda Thursday morning:

Speaking of hurricanes, the power outages of Hurricane Matthew are obvious on these before and after satellite images:

The loop compares images from September 28 and October 9.

Some locations along the southeast coast of the U.S. are still waiting for power to be restored.