Having dug out of the first reality-check snowfall of the winter season, Twin Citians are now confronting the reality of the coldest weather of 2016-17 roaring in for a multiday stay starting Monday until at least the end of the week.

Tuesday highs are expected to reach 9 degrees in the metro area and will continue to fall until Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Chanhassen said.

Lows are forecast to dip as far as 8 below zero, with windchill readings of minus-15 or colder starting Tuesday morning. The NWS predicts windchills readings for the next few days with the coldest values expected Thursday morning of minus-20 to -30.

The highs for Wednesday and Thursday are expected to reach only about 5 degrees, said forecaster Joe Calderone.

And just because parts of the Twin Cities and surrounding communities took a snowy pounding ranging from 6 to 9 inches over the weekend, that's no immunity from more this week.

There is another high probability of shoveling and snowblowing on Friday for much of the day.

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
Abby McCall crosses Riverside Avenue while bundled against the cold Minneapolis morning.

At least the mercury should be something closer to bearable — the midteens — by then.

"Depends on how you want to define 'bearable,' " Calderone said. "Friday the high will increase to about 16 degrees, but that is when we are also expecting to get more culminating snow."

Calderone predicts another arctic shock for the weekend.

Calderone said the metro could see single digits Saturday, with Sunday's temperature barely reaching zero degrees.

On Monday, many awoke to temperatures a tick below zero, with the NWS posting a reading of minus-1. By 8 a.m., the sun's appearance notwithstanding, it was 8 below in Lakeville and minus-4 in Eden Prairie, the weather service reported. The state's cold spots as of 9 a.m. were Granite Falls at 12 below and Willmar at minus-11.

By late afternoon in the Twin Cities, the metro area saw a high of 7 degrees.

However, the day's highest temperature in the metro area was during the overnight hours, Calderone said.

At 1:18 a.m., the high was 14 degrees.

"It's a little unusual the high was at 1:18. Today was just one of those weird days," Calderone said. "Then it slowly fell and stayed steady and now it's going to continue to fall."

Paul Walsh