Weekend forecast: Arctic cold and dangerous wind chills

We saw very few cold days in December and January. We’re making up for that lack of cold weather today, this weekend and into next week.

Dangerous wind chills

It’s not just the air temperatures that will be incredibly cold this weekend. Wind chill temps will be dangerously cold.

A wind chill warning starts Friday evening and continues until noon on Tuesday in northwestern Minnesota:

Here are details of the wind chill warning:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 316 AM CST Fri Feb 5 2021 MNZ001-002-004>009-013>017-022-023-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-026>030- 054-080930- /O.UPG.KFGF.WC.A.0001.210206T0000Z-210209T1800Z/ /O.NEW.KFGF.WC.W.0001.210206T0000Z-210209T1800Z/ West Polk-Norman-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-West Marshall- East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-East Polk- North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-South Clearwater-Towner- Cavalier-Pembina-Benson-Ramsey-Eastern Walsh-Eddy-Nelson- Grand Forks-Griggs-Steele-Traill-Western Walsh- Including the cities of Crookston, East Grand Forks, Ada, Twin Valley, Halstad, Hallock, Karlstad, Lancaster, Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Baudette, Warren, Stephen, Argyle, Newfolden, Middle River, Grygla, Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah, Thief River Falls, Red Lake Falls, Fosston, Fertile, McIntosh, Erskine, Bagley, Clearbrook, Bemidji, Mahnomen, Naytahwaush, Waubun, Alida, Ebro, Lake Itasca, Long Lost Lake, Lower Rice Lake, Roy Lake, Upper Rice Lake, Cando, Langdon, Cavalier, Walhalla, Drayton, Pembina, Neche, St. Thomas, Fort Totten, Maddock, Leeds, Minnewaukan, Devils Lake, Grafton, Park River, New Rockford, Lakota, Mcville, Aneta, Tolna, Grand Forks, Cooperstown, Finley, Hope, Mayville, Hillsboro, Hatton, Portland, Edinburg, Adams, and Lankin 316 AM CST Fri Feb 5 2021 ...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST TUESDAY... * WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 50 below zero. * WHERE...Portions of north central and northwest Minnesota and northeast and southeast North Dakota. * WHEN...From 6 PM this evening to noon CST Tuesday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

The remainder of northern Minnesota will be in a wind chill advisory. A wind chill advisory covers much of central Minnesota, the metro area, plus northwestern and west-central Wisconsin this weekend:

Here are details of the wind chill advisory, which starts at 3 a.m. Saturday in the Twin Cities and continues until noon on Sunday:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 316 AM CST Fri Feb 5 2021 ...A PROLONGED PERIOD OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES BEGINS TONIGHT... .Arctic high pressure will remain in place through next week. Highs in the single digits above or below zero are expected each day with lows in the teens or 20s below zero. Combined with the wind, wind chill values each night will drop to 25 below to 35 below zero. Some improvement is expected each afternoon, but that will last only briefly. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect from late tonight through Sunday morning for areas north of a line from Canby to Eau Claire, and late tonight through Tuesday morning north of a line from Benson to Little Falls. MNZ044-045-050>054-056>070-WIZ014>016-023>025-027-028-052115- /O.NEW.KMPX.WC.Y.0001.210206T0900Z-210207T1800Z/ Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Benton-Sherburne-Isanti-Chisago-Lac Qui Parle- Chippewa-Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington- Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Carver-Scott-Dakota-Polk- Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Eau Claire- Including the cities of Princeton, Mora, Sauk Rapids, Elk River, Cambridge, Center City, Madison, Montevideo, Willmar, Litchfield, Monticello, Minneapolis, Blaine, St Paul, Stillwater, Granite Falls, Olivia, Hutchinson, Gaylord, Chanhassen, Chaska, Victoria, Shakopee, Hastings, Osceola, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Hudson, River Falls, Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire 316 AM CST Fri Feb 5 2021 ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM SATURDAY TO NOON CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 34 below zero. * WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Wisconsin and central, east central and west central Minnesota. * WHEN...From 3 AM Saturday to noon CST Sunday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Wind chills will be coldest during the late night through mid morning hours. Wind chills should improve to 15 below to 25 below zero for a time Saturday afternoon. Lighter winds expected by Sunday afternoon currently allow for a break in the Wind Chill Advisory, but another advisory will likely be needed for next week. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

The wind chill advisory begins at midnight tonight in west-central Minnesota

A tour of weekend temperatures and wind chills

Low temperatures late Friday night and early Saturday morning will be in the teens below zero in northern Minnesota and western Wisconsin, with single digits below zero elsewhere:

Here’s a look at wind chills at noon on Saturday:

Saturday high temps stay below zero in many areas:

We may touch zero briefly in the Twin Cities. Our average Twin Cities high temp is 26 degrees this time of year!

Low temps are well below zero Saturday night/early Sunday morning:

Midday wind chills on Sunday look like this:

Sunday highs stay below zero in most areas:

We’ll flirt with zero briefly Sunday afternoon in the metro area.

Any weekend snow?

The weekend looks snow-free in most areas. Southwestern Minnesota may see some light snow showers or flurries Saturday morning.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s North American Mesoscale (NAM) forecast model shows the potential precipitation pattern Saturday morning:

You can hear updated weather information for Minnesota and western Wisconsin on the MPR network, and you’ll see updated weather info on the MPR News live weather blog.

Programming note

You can hear my live weather updates on MPR News at 7:35 a.m., 9:35 a.m. and 4:39 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.