Arctic air set to send Minnesota midweek temps plummeting

With two cold fronts passing through this week, temperatures will plummet by midweek. The coldest air of the season is arriving, bringing wind chill values ranging from minus 10 to minus 30 degrees below zero.

With this cold plunge, the National Weather Service may issue its first new advisories under the updated cold weather system. In October, the weather service updated the terminology for watches, warnings and advisories around wind chills and freezes to improve public understanding of cold weather risks.

Here’s what changed:

• Wind chill watch is renamed extreme cold watch

• Wind chill warning is renamed extreme cold warning

• Wind chill advisory is renamed cold weather advisory

• Hard freeze watch is renamed freeze watch

• Hard freeze warning renamed freeze warning

Extreme Cold Watch: Issued for the possibility of temperatures dropping to -35 or -40 without any wind, or if there is wind, wind chill values dropping -35 or -40. If a watch is issued for your area, you should pay special attention to future forecasts and statements and begin to make safety precautions. The criteria for a watch is potential for -40 for northern and most of central Minnesota, and -35 for the Twin Cities, southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Extreme Cold Warning: Issued when it is likely that temperatures will drop to -35 or -40 without any wind, or if there is wind, wind chill values will drop to -35 or -40. If a warning is issued for your area, you should ensure the appropriate safety precautions have been taken. The criteria for a warning is the expectation for -40 for northern and most of central Minnesota, and -35 for the Twin Cities, southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Cold Weather Advisory: Issued when it is likely that temperatures will drop to -25 or -30 without any wind, or if there is wind, wind chill values will drop to -25 or -30. The criteria for an advisory is the expectation for -30 for northern and most of central Minnesota, and -25 for the Twin Cities, southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Weather service officials believe the simpler language will more clearly communicate that cold weather is dangerous, whether or not there is wind. It will also make weather maps more straightforward by featuring only extreme cold watches and extreme cold warnings.