After Snowstorm Rolls Through, Dangerous Cold To Descend On Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Commuters in the Twin Cities metro should expect a slower commute Monday morning as a snowstorm continues to swirl over southern and central Minnesota, blowing light, crystalline flakes on top of the snow that already accumulated (up to 6 inches in some areas) overnight.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until noon for much of southern and central Minnesota, the National Weather Service says. While the snow is expected to taper off in the later morning hours, another inch of light snow is expected to accumulate in some areas.
Highs Monday are expected to climb near 10 degrees in the Twin Cities, but overnight temperatures will crash, as a front of arctic air moves over Minnesota, setting up a week of dangerous cold, with wind chills as frigid as 60 below in parts of northern Minnesota.
The overnight snowstorm has prompted hundreds of schools in southern and central Minnesota to cancel or delay classes Monday. A list of school closings can be found here.
Additionally, several cities in the metro area have declared snow emergencies, including St. Paul. However, Minneapolis has not done so.
Looks like 4-6" so far in the metro. Steady snow still coming down now and will for another few hours. #mnwx #wiwx pic.twitter.com/HkOT6gD15X
— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) January 28, 2019
Meteorologist Matt Brickman says the biggest snow totals were recorded Monday in southern Minnesota. One reading, from a WCCO Weather Watcher, showed 9 inches in Warsaw, 7.8 inches in Springfield. Another, in Waseca, showed 7 inches.
In Minneapolis, about 4 inches of snow fell, with higher totals recorded in the south metro. Meanwhile, WCCO Weather Watchers in central Minnesota, in Becker and Nevis, also reported getting about 6 inches of fresh snow.
As the snow fell overnight, crews were out clearing and treating the roads. They only have until the end of the day before the arctic cold descends on the state, rendering salt and chemical treatments basically useless.
Potentially historic cold will arrive Tuesday through Thursday with highs 10 to 20 below and lows ranging from 25 to 30 below.
Check out these dangerous wind chills Wednesday morning... pic.twitter.com/AXjfcx7OhW
— NWS Twin Cities (@NWSTwinCities) January 27, 2019
The extreme cold is expected to fall on Minnesota overnight, with wind chill factors as frigid as 30 below in the Twin Cities on Tuesday morning. Temperatures won't climb above zero for days, and Wednesday looks to bring historic cold, with lows around 27 below, which haven't been recorded in the metro in about 20 years.
The wind chills Wednesday morning will be around 50 below to the metro, and parts of greater Minnesota could see wind chill factors as cold as 60 below. In such cold, frostbite can set in on exposed skin in less than 5 minutes. Expect some schools to close this week due to the dangerous cold.
The extreme cold is expected to last until Thursday. However, the weekend looks to bring a shot of warmth, with temperatures climbing well above freezing on Saturday. The near 60-degree shift in temperatures will bring a chance to clear roads and sidewalks of ice that accumulates during this week of arctic cold.
23 years ago tomorrow we started a similar (albeit longer) stretch of extreme cold. So, file this under "it could always be worse." #mnwx pic.twitter.com/g4Lhie7iit
— Matt Brickman (@Matt_Brickman) January 28, 2019
