Bitterly cold air arrives tonight and Friday

Get the heavy jackets, gloves, hat and scarf out because boy, are you going to need it!

Temperatures are dropping quickly across the Dakota’s as cold, arctic air races southeast out of the Canadian plains on brisk northwest winds. Low temperatures tonight will dip into the single digits for most locations, with Rochester being the “warm” spot on the map, with a low of a balmy 10F.

Breezy northwest winds ranging from 10 to 20 mph, gusting up to 30 mph at times, will only make it feel colder, with wind chills around or just below 0F by early Friday morning.

Temperatures will not climb much on Friday, with continued northwest winds gusting up to 25 mph at times. Most locations will see temperatures top out in the upper teens, which is the average high for January, not late November! Wind chills will remain near 0F for most of the day as well. You’ll want to bundle up or limit your time outside to avoid frostbite!

Clouds have broken up slightly across southeastern Minnesota this evening, but will continue to dominate the skies through the overnight hours. If there is any good news for Friday, it is that clouds will decrease during the morning, allowing for plenty of afternoon sunshine!

I suppose if colder temperatures are a price to pay for sunshine after days of clouds, some of us will take it!