It's cold, darn cold. Real cold. But not record cold.
Then again, this is Minnesota in late January. It was way back on January 30, 1887 when the Twin Cities recorded a low temperature of 30 degrees below zero. And it hasn't been that cold on this day, ever since.
WCCO Chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas says even if it isn’t going to set records, prepare for a chilly couple of days. That is very evident Monday morning when we are waking up to wind chills 20 below, to even 40 below if far northern Minnesota. Douglas says it was 31 below in Hibbing Monday morning. That's air temperature, not wind chill. Brrrr.
“We’ll get up into low single digits today and at least the sun will be out,” Douglas says. “A chilly week is on tap, and the pattern is not ripe for big snow anytime soon. This is not the polar vortex.”
Not even close. Temps will be in the teens most of the time Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with another very cold day coming Friday with a high of 5 above.
But then the cold breaks says Douglas.
“I see 20s and 30s starting this weekend through mid-February,” Douglas predicts. "As early as Saturday we should be up near 30. The European model keeps us near freezing for the foreseeable future."
The other good news? Days are quickly getting longer. We gain about two minutes of per day right now, and by February 6, we’ll have 10 hours of daylight. A sure sign of spring coming, right? Hang in there.
FORECAST
Monday: Feels like -25F. High 3.
Tuesday: Partly sunny and chilly. High 12, low -6.
Wednesday: More clouds, closer to "average". High 21, low 3.
Thursday: More cold. High 14, low 11 with higher winds, NW 15-25 mph.
Friday: Bright sunshine, less wind chill. High 5, low -11.
National Weather Issues
Also, Minnesota is not alone this week so keep an eye out if you need to travel.
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center shared that 15 states are expected to experience ice accumulation due to freezing rain, including a chunk of Texas, making attempts at travel a nightmare.
Wind chill warnings are also going into effect for more than 15 million people on Monday morning, with some states hitting wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero.
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