First subzero air mass of the season ahead this week
Temps will reach minus 20 in NW Minnesota; cold snap won't last long
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Well, I hope you enjoyed our relatively balmy weekend.
With high temperatures of 52 degrees on Saturday and 43 degrees on Sunday, life in the Twin Cities felt way more November than December.
Now the dreaded Minnesota hunch returns this week. You know, that walk when you’re all bent over with hunched shoulders racing to get out of the wind chill?
Our first cold front brought chilly northwest winds Monday after topping out at 41 degrees around midday. On the chart below, you can see how temperatures crashed Monday afternoon.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Tuesday brings mixed sun and lighter winds with highs in the teens to 20s across Minnesota.
Arctic blast arrives Wednesday
The season’s coldest air mass so far will blow into Minnesota Tuesday night into Wednesday.
On the map below, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Forecast System model shows the system pushing bands of light snow along the brisk northwest flow in the frontal zone early Wednesday.
Much of Minnesota will get a dusting of snow by Thursday morning.
Temperatures with this air mass will bottom out Thursday morning with lows in the minus 20s northwest with single digits below zero in the south.
The coldest temperature so far this season at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was 6 degrees above zero, occurring on Dec. 1, Dec. 4, and Dec. 5.
The cold snap will not last long. Highs in the 30s return for the upcoming weekend.