Dropping temperatures this weekend are leading into some of the coldest weather of the season.
“So as far as air temperatures go, we’re looking at lows that are going to range from about 10 below zero by Sunday morning to, at their coldest, about 15 below zero on Tuesday morning. And that will come with some wind chills that are ranging anywhere from about 25 to 40 below zero,” said Tyler Hasenstein, a National Weather Service Twin Cities meteorologist.
The coldest parts of the state will be farther north and west of the Twin Cities, with most of the cold air coming from the north, he said.
Despite the cold weather, snowstorms aren’t in the forecast, Hasenstein said.
A weather pattern, especially over the western states, is pulling cold air from the Arctic Circle over northern Canada and into the U.S., Hasenstein said.
There is potential for snow squalls — short, blizzard-like conditions that can reduce visibility — as winds, mixed with possible snowfall, come out of the northwestern part of the state, he said.
“But those are usually also very short lived, so it’ll be just maybe some brief interruptions in portions of the western part of the state (Friday), and then more or less for the rest of this cold stretch, we’re not really expecting anything in the way of snow,” Hasenstein said.
The cold stretch is expected to last through Tuesday morning before temperatures begin to warm up a bit to around 20 degrees for highs, and generally single digit lows for the rest of the coming week, he said.
Residents should try to limit time outside as frostbite can happen at any temperatures below freezing, Hasenstein said. With the weather expected for Minnesota, it can happen within 30 minutes and exposed skin should be covered as much as possible, he added.
Resources for those in need
The Salvation Army’s seven metro-area service centers have been open as warming centers during regular business hours this week. The organization’s Harbor Light emergency shelter also has made an additional 40 beds available through the end of February. Its overflow accommodations are available on nights when wind chills are expected to approach zero degrees or below. Adult Shelter Connect is available at (612) 248-2350 for those in need of emergency overnight shelter.
Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ downtown St. Paul Dorothy Day/Higher Ground shelter can take in up to 179 men and 61 women. It does allow visitors to stay in the lobby on especially cold nights and they can walk in any time, according to Tatyana Finklea, division director of adult emergency services. Both Catholic Charities Twin Cities and Ramsey County warming centers regularly reach capacity in cold weather, Finklea said.
Catholic Charities’ St Paul Opportunity Center will be open for extended hours on Sunday and Monday until 9 p.m. to give those in need a place to stay out of the cold until the county can transport them to warming spaces, Finklea said. Those needing shelter should connect with the county or call 211.
Salvation Army service center locations serving as warming centers in St. Paul include St. Paul Eastside Salvation Army at 1019 Payne Ave. and St. Paul West Seventh Salvation Army at 401 W. Seventh St.
Besides county and Salvation Army warming spaces, St. Paul will use Newell Park at 900 Fairview Ave. N. and the Phalen Lakeside Activity Center at 1530 Phalen Dr. as warming shelters for single adult males. Both shelters are open nightly from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
While Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities’ men’s and women’s campuses are at capacity, the men’s campus is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and staff can work with visitors to make sure they are sheltered.
Though Union Gospel doesn’t provide emergency women’s or children’s shelter, staff also can work with them to find the right place to go.
Donations of winter items are accepted at Catholic Charities and more information on what is needed can be found at cctwincities.org/donate/in-kind-donations/.
Weather averages
Meanwhile, the average temperature for the Twin Cities since Dec. 1 has been 19.3 degrees, a slight drop from the average of the last 30 years of 19.7 degrees, according to the weather service.
The snowfall total since October is significantly down from the average of the last 30 years. Since Oct. 1, the total is 9.8 inches in snowfall compared to the 30-year average of 23.6.
Despite the drop in snowfall, winter precipitation this year is 5.07 inches compared to a 30-year average of 5.77 inches. The Twin Cities currently is not experiencing a drought, but areas such as north-central Minnesota and portions of western Minnesota are.
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