After Winter Storms, Minnesota Braces For Arctic Blast
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A day after winter storms brought snow to northern Minnesota and glazed the southern part of the state with sleet and ice, arctic cold is descending on the state Tuesday.
The National Weather Service says a cold front moving in from Canada is causing temperatures to plummet. In the Twin Cities, air temperatures early Tuesday morning hovered around freezing, and nosedived to the teens during the late morning hours. By nightfall, highs are expected to be in the single digits.
Falling Temperatures Today. Very Cold Wind Chills Tonight. #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/kLeIHvVPNT
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) January 3, 2017
Strong winds, with gusts up to 35 mph, will make it feel much colder. Wind chills Tuesday morning already felt below zero in several areas of the state, and they're only expected to get colder as the week goes on.
The cold follows a night that brought freezing rain to areas in southern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro. Drivers were cautioned to take it easy on the side streets, while travel was not advised on Interstate 94 north of the Twin Cities due to black ice.
Travel was also not advised in the northwestern part of state, where roads were treacherous due to snow and ice. The National Weather Service says that since Sunday around 8 inches of snow fell in several areas up north, including around Moorhead, Bemidji and parts of the arrowhead.
How much snow fell since Sunday morning? Here's a map showing 48 hour totals. Thanks Coop & @CoCoRaHS observers for measurements #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/PoPZYqy1tZ
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) January 3, 2017
Overnight Tuesday, temperatures are expected to fall below zero in much of the state, and by Wednesday morning, wind chills could be around 40 below in northern Minnesota.
The arctic chills will linger until Friday, and by Saturday highs should again climb into the single digits. By Sunday, temperatures look to be back around average, in the low 20s.
