Minnesota Weather: Following Ground Blizzard, A Night Of Dangerous Cold
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Strong winds whipped up ground blizzard conditions Friday in northwestern Minnesota, leading to several road closures. While the winds will diminish overnight, dropping temperatures will make for dangerous cold.
As of 5 p.m., all roads have reopened in northwestern Minnesota, although blowing snow is still causing reduced visibility in the area. Earlier in the day, a long stretch of Interstate 94 was closed east of Moorhead. Several other highways were also closed between Fergus Falls and the North Dakota border, where blizzard warnings were in effect.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, from 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., there were more than 200 crashes and spinouts statewide.
Overnight, the winds will die down, and in their place will come a surge of arctic air. The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for most of the state and a wind chill warning for northeastern Minnesota. The Twin Cities is not under any advisory.
From the Red River Valley to the Brainerd chain of lakes, wind chills overnight could feel as cold as 40 degrees below zero. In the Arrowhead, it could feel as cold as 45 degrees below zero. In such frigid weather, frostbite can set in on exposed skin in just minutes.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says the arctic cold will usher in a chilly weekend. Saturday's high in the Twin Cities will be in the single digits. The average high for this time of year is 28 degrees. Rounds of light snow also look to blow over southern Minnesota on Saturday, although only trace accumulations are expected.
Sunday will also be cold, an another Alberta clipper system looks to make its way across Minnesota. This system, which will move from the northwest to the Twin Cities, could bring a couple of inches of fresh snow and make driving after the Super Bowl hazardous.
Looking ahead, temperatures look to climb above average on Valentine's Day (Tuesday).
