Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Arctic sunshine with bitterly cold wind chills

Coldest temperatures since February

Bitterly cold weekend
Bitterly cold weekend
National Weather Service

Arctic air has moved in for the weekend, bringing frigid wind chills due to northwest winds. Temperatures are expected to dip to their lowest point on Saturday, with highs only reaching the mid-teens. However, a warmup is expected as we head into next week.

Subzero wind chills

Chilly temperatures have taken hold across the Upper Midwest, with the coldest air mass since February bringing well below-average highs. Saturday will bring temperatures that warm only into the mid-teens, with single digits expected in the western parts of the state near the Red River Valley.

Highs for Saturday
Highs for Saturday
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

With a northwest wind factored in, wind chills will drop below zero on Saturday. Bright purple and pinkish hues on the map indicate wind chill temperatures reaching the teens below zero.

Winds chills Saturday at 3 p.m.
Winds chills Saturday at 3 p.m.
NOAA

Saturday night, temperatures will plummet into the single digits across the state, resembling the kind of cold typically seen in January.

Lows for Saturday night
Lows for Saturday night
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Saturday will bring bright arctic sunshine, although cloud cover will begin to increase as we head into Sunday.

Cloud cover Saturday morning through Sunday morning
Cloud cover Saturday morning through Sunday morning
NOAA, via College of DuPage weather lab

Thawing out midweek

The cold air mass will gradually move out as warmer, more seasonal air takes its place by midweek. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will remain in the mid to upper 20s, with highs finally rising above freezing on Wednesday.

Temperatures Monday through Friday
Temperatures Monday through Friday
NOAA, via Tropical Tidbits

Temperatures will drop again Thursday into Friday, but it won't be as cold as the current air mass.

A series of shortwaves will pass through next week, bringing light flurries and possibly some light snow. Currently, the track of these systems is expected to stay farther to the north.