More cold ahead of a weekend warm-up

This has been the coldest air so far this winter season that we have been “enjoying.” We had Cold Weather Advisories last week, and then we started off this week with an Extreme Cold Warning. At times, we have seen wind chills down to 45 below zero across the area – that is one cold Arctic airmass!

With it being so cold recently, it is difficult to see much snow with a bitterly cold and dry airmass in-between a couple of weak disturbances at times. The colder air has helped to keep the snow on the ground, though, for snowmobilers. 

For those of you who want to see a change from the Arctic air, you will be happy to know that some much warmer air will finally return later this week, just in time for the weekend. How warm will it be across the region? Let’s just say that we could see some 30s and 40s and, dare I say, some 50s across parts of the state? That is certainly a big turnaround from earlier this week.

If you love the snow, I recommend getting out and playing in it while you can. I can’t say I am disappointed with the prospects of some upper 20s for Saturday as I have the Polar Plunge this weekend, and I am set to jump into the icy waters to raise money for Special Olympics. If you want to help out and see the “weather guy” jump into the -bitterly cold water, just go to https://reg.plungemn.org/participant/mark
anthonyanderson.

Weather history: On this date in 1928, records indicate that a “dust storm moves across Minnesota.” It was so bad that it caused people to turn on lights during the daytime in their homes and businesses.

Weather facts: Did you know that dust storms can be “dangerous and can impact human health, agriculture, and transportation?”

MN AT A GLANCE:

Moorhead Low -21 High -1

Duluth low -9 High 8

Central MN Low -18 High -3

Twin Cities -10 High 5

Marshall Low -14 High -1

Rochester Low -11 High 0

Wednesday: Partly cloudy and cold. High -3 Low -11 Wind: NW 10-15 mph Prec. None

Today’s sunrise: 7:28 a.m.

Today’s sunset: 5:44 p.m.

Normal High: 23

Normal Low: 5

Unseasonably cold temperatures will stay with us through Friday before above-normal temps push into the region. Highs over the weekend will be in the upper 20s and low- to mid-30s over the weekend. Some 40s could even be found in parts of southwest Minnesota.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 4 Low -8 Wind: WNW 5-10 Prec. None

Friday: Partly cloudy. High 15 Low 7 Wind: SSW 10-20 mph Prec. Trace-.20”

Saturday: Partly cloudy and warmer. High 28 Low 22 Wind: SSW 10-15 mph Prec. None

Sunday: Partly cloudy and mild. High 36 Low 28 Wind: SW 10-15 mph Prec. None