Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Wind chill warnings and advisories until 9 a.m.; fun talk on Weather Brains

Teens below zero Wednesday morning, 20s above zero Wednesday afternoon

Wind chill warnings and advisories
Wind chill warnings and advisories.
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Our deep freeze goes extra deep overnight. Wind chill warnings and advisories cover all of Minnesota again into Wednesday morning.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN

146 PM CST Tue Jan 25 2022

...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING... .Air temperatures will drop into the -20s tonight. Southerly winds will increase late tonight and wind chills are expected to drop to around 40 below across much of Minnesota, and as cold as the -30s in the metro and across western Wisconsin. Another Wind Chill Warning is in effect tonight and early Wednesday across central and southern Minnesota, except for the Twin Cities metro. A Wind Chill Advisory remains in effect for the Twin Cities metro and western Wisconsin through Wednesday morning.

Bottoming out before sunrise?

The minimum temperatures on cold clear winter mornings typically occur just after sunrise. That’s when the diurnal atmospheric cooling process stops, and the elevating sun begins to slightly warm the ground.

It’s going to be interesting to see where we bottom out in the Twin Cities early Wednesday morning. As the center of arctic high pressure moves by, winds will shift into the south. If the winds increase enough before sunrise, they will mix up the lower levels of the atmosphere and stop temperatures from falling.

This process could prevent readings from getting to 18 below zero in the inner Twin Cities. If winds hold off, it could get that cold. Either way, it’s going to be dangerously cold once again.

Forecast temps at 6 am Wednesday
European model forecast temps at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
ECMWF via pivotal weather

Wind chill values will approach minus 40 degrees overnight.

Wind chill forecast
Wind chill forecast.
Twin Cities National Weather Service

Milder Wednesday afternoon

Southerly winds blow in milder, more tolerable (above zero) air Wednesday afternoon.

Forecast high temperatures Wednesday
Forecast high temperatures Wednesday.
NOAA

But gusty winds will cause some blowing snow in open areas Wednesday. Gusts will hit 40 mph in open areas of southwest Minnesota. That will send our super dry arctic fluff airborne.

Peak winds gusts Wednesday
Peak winds gusts Wednesday.
NOAA

Weather Brains

I had a blast talking with a bunch of fellow weather geeks last night on Weather Brains. Prominent Alabama meteorologist James Spann hosts this very informative and entertaining podcast. The panel contains amazing weather experts and enthusiasts from around the country.

We talked about some of the crazy weather we’ve seen in Minnesota and around the U.S. lately. And you’ll love the segment on rainbows with University of Hawaii professor Dr. Steven Businger.