Minnesota Chinook: Buffalo Ridge towns could hit 60 degrees Wednesday

A meteorological triple whammy will combine to produce record warmth across much of Minnesota on Wednesday. Thermometers could hit 60 degrees Wednesday afternoon in southwestern Minnesota.

First, an unseasonably mild Pacific air mass typical of our super El Niño winter will blow in an air mass that yielded highs in the 60s across western Dakotas and even 70 degrees in Saskatchewan. It was warmer there than in Key West, Fla., on Tuesday.

Second, bright sunshine will work to warm temperatures across our state.

Third, the low albedo of our bare, snow-free landscape across much of Minnesota will help turn about 70 to 90 percent of that sunshine into heat near the ground where we live.

The result will be widespread record-high temperatures in the 40s north and 50s south Wednesday. Temperatures will soar well into into the 60s again southwest of Minnesota.

Buffalo Ridge

One corner of Minnesota may get a fourth factor to help turbocharge temperatures Wednesday afternoon.

A rise in the landscape called Buffalo Ridge could cause a phenomenon known as downslope warming. That happens when westerly winds pass over the ridge, then warm adiabatically as they descend the northeast side of the ridge.

It’s like a mini Minnesota version of the Chinook winds that blow on the east side of the Rockies.

The image at the top of this post shows the process that occurred last Sunday. Winds may not be as strong on Wednesday, but it won’t take much to add a few degrees to this already record-warm inbound air mass.

So as we count up the temperature records Wednesday afternoon, keep an eye on Buffalo Ridge towns like Madison, Marshall, and Appleton. We could see some bank and National Weather Service thermometers flashing 60 degrees on the last day of January!